What would have been
by Izzy Yuki Hime
Summary: Edward proposes to Bella but she turns him down. No particular timeline, but based on the vision Bella has in Eclipse of how her future with Jacob would have been. Rated M for smut and lemon in later chapters. Bella/Jacob
1. Prologue

**A/N:** This is my first attempt at writing fanfic, so it's probably CRAP. Also, the story is rated T for smut that will happen in later chapters. No lemon soz. Anyway, the evil plot bunnies put this idea in my head, and I decided to play in their sandpit for a while. :) R&R please. Even if you hate it.

**Disclaimer:** None of the characters belong to me. They (and some of the plot) are owned by Stephenie Meyer bows and scrapes. I just own some of the less good bits.

**WARNING:** Some OOC. Also, it hasn't been beta'd so please pass on any mistakes you spot. And I use British spellings.

* * *

**Prologue:**

'I'm sorry Edward', she said quietly, looking down at the unbelievably gorgeous man on his knees in front of her. 'I just…I just can't do it. I've got to say no. I'm so sorry.'

'But Bella, don't you love me?', asked Edward, desperation in his voice.

'I do Edward, I do, but it's just so _hard_ being with you. You broke my heart once, and I can't let go of the feeling that you might do it again. And I've been thinking everything over, and I've decided that I'm really not ready to be a vampire. I mean, there's Charlie and Mom and…Jacob…I don't feel like I can let them go. Please understand', Bella said sadly, but not without conviction. 'Let me go Edward. Move on, please. You'll find someone else, I know you will. But this has to be goodbye.' Bella got up from the bed, and began to walk to the door of Edward's room.

'Bella, please!', cried Edward. 'Please don't go! I love you!'

'I know', said Bella, not looking at him. 'I'm just not sure that you love me enough. Goodbye Edward.' And with that, she opened the door and walked slowly out of the Cullen's house. Then she went home, lay on her bed, and cried for a long, long time.

* * *

Later, Charlie knocked gently on her door.

'Bella?', he said softly. 'Can I come in?'

'Yes', came the muffled reply. Charlie opened the door, and walked into the room, finding a red-eyed, sniffling Bella sitting on her bed.

'Oh Bels', he said quietly, before he sat down on the bed and drew her into a hug. 'If it helps, I think you did the right thing. I know Edward is great, and you really like him, but you're very young, and I always worried that he'd hurt you again, even if he didn't mean to. This way, you're not rushing into anything, and you're giving yourself time to go and explore the world before you settle down and start a family. You can wait a few years before you find someone you're _sure_ that you want to be with, and then you'll be so grateful for saying no to Edward now.'

Bella nodded, and smiled weakly.

'You're right', she said seriously. 'It's just so _difficult_, y'know? I mean, I know that this was probably the right choice, it's just that it was so hard to say no. It broke my heart, and I miss him so much, even though I know it would have broken my heart more to say yes. I just couldn't shake the feeling that if he'd left me once, he might do it again... And now I'm so _miserable_ and I start crying every time I think about the look on his f-f-face…' She trailed off, feeling misery welling up in her and the tears starting to fall. 'I'm s-sorry', she said to Charlie through her tears.

'Shhh', he said, and took her back into his arms, rocking her comfortingly and stroking her back gently. 'It's going to take a while for you to get back to normal. Just cry it all out, ok? I'm here for you, whenever you need me.' And so Bella just sat there and cried into Charlie's shoulder until the tears stopped running down her face, and the sobs stopped shaking her body.

Then she sat up, and wiped away any stray tears with the back of her hand, before turning to Charlie.

'Thank you', she said gratefully. 'You're so good to me.' Charlie just smiled and ruffled her hair lightly.

'Go to bed Bella', he said kindly. 'You'll feel much better after a good night's sleep.' Then he kissed her on the forehead and went downstairs. And Bella, feeling a little better then before, took his advice, and went to bed. It felt a little strange at first, with no Edward to keep her company, and she was starting to feel sad again when a howl outside her window made her smile. Jacob was obviously out and about with the others. The thought of the pack frolicking in Forks, so wild and free, made her happy, and she soon drifted off to sleep.

**A/N:** SOOOOO? Did you like it? R&R, pretty please with a cherry on top!


	2. Chapter I In the Morning

**A/N:** Ta-DAH! Here it is, Chapter I. I woke up this morning, and I just sat down and wrote THIS. You like? Anyway, BIG thank yous go out to the following people:

**Reviewers:** watermelon-smiles, eager for eternal damnation and Hearts of Eternity (I'm sorry, I know I said fluff, but it just wasn't happening. Wait til you see Chap II tho. You'll love it!)

**Subscribers to WWHB:** KIRAKASHA, watermelon-smiles, wolfshead23, X. Buffy Lurves Spike .X and eager for eternal damnation. I LOVE YOU! If I could give you a Jacob of your own (or Bella depending), I would.

So yeah. Here it is. R&R please!

* * *

**Chapter I- In the Morning:**

The next day, when Bella woke up, for a moment, she forgot that she'd turned Edward down, and was a little surprised that he wasn't lying next to her. Then the realisation came crashing down on her, and she remembered the events of the previous day. She was about to start crying when she looked at the clock, and saw that it was 8.05am, and she was meant to be at school in 25 minutes.

'Shit!', she cursed softly, and her misery was put aside as she hurried to get ready for school. She stomped over to her wardrobe, threw it open and grabbed the first pair of jeans she could find. Then she chucked on a t-shirt with Linkin Park on the front, and dashed downstairs.

She went into the kitchen, and found Charlie in his pyjamas, sipping coffee and bleary eyed. He looked up at her in shock, and asked:

'What's the big rush Bels? You're never up early on a Saturday.' Bella looked at him in confusion.

'It's Friday Charlie. I'm gonna be late for school if I don't get a move on. And you should be getting ready for work.' Charlie looked at her for a minute in silence, then sighed.

'Bella, it's Saturday. Yesterday was Friday. I know today's Saturday because you had a big date with Edward scheduled for Friday. And you went on that date yesterday, remember?', Charlie said anxiously. Bella stopped in the middle of pouring herself some cereal, and stood very still for a while. She realised that Charlie was right (for a change), and that she'd been so disorientated from yesterday that she obviously just went into her school routine without even thinking.

'Yeah, I guess it is Saturday. Sorry Charlie. I just got so caught up in everything, and I…well yesterday hasn't really sunk in yet. I need some time to get used to it- to there being no more 'Bella and Edward'. So I'm sorry if I'm a little spaced at the moment', Bella said apologetically. Charlie nodded will a soft smile, and then returned to sipping/slurping his coffee while Bella got herself breakfast. The silence was of the comfortable sort, with no trace of awkwardness between them as they slowly began to become human after the night's sleep. Bella ate unhurriedly, and 8.30, she was just putting her breakfast things in the dishwasher when the doorbell rang. She and Charlie were just about to go for the door when they heard the door opening, and a familiar voice said:

'Bella? Charlie? Can I come in?' Bella grinned as she heard Jacob letting himself into the house. He really was incorrigible. And she loved him for it. _Wait a second! Where did__** that **__thought come from?_ Bella asked herself. But before she had time to think it over, Jacob Black burst into the kitchen, a wide smile on his face, and **far** too wide awake for 8.30 on a Saturday morning.

'Morning Charlie, morning Bella!', he said cheerily. 'Can I have some coffee?' He looked eagerly at Charlie, who nodded his permission with a smile. Bella had to stifle a giggle at the sight of Jacob wandering around her kitchen, making himself a cup of coffee. It wasn't exactly funny, it was just that he knew where everything was. _Edward never did_, she thought. Then stopped. What was **with** her this morning? Then Charlie spoke, starling Bella out of her reverie.

'So what brings you here Jacob? Not that you're not welcome or anything', said Charlie hurriedly. Jacob just smiled his easy, friendly smile, and then replied.

'Well I figured if Bella wasn't busy, she might want to come and hang out on the reservation with me and everyone. We're gonna have a Barbie on the beach, hang out for a while, and then have a campfire in the evening. What d'you think Bels?' He looked at her pleadingly, and she found herself smiling at him unthinkingly. 'You don't have plans with Edward do you?'

'Uh Jacob, I don't know if Bella's up to it', said Charlie quickly. 'She's had a very emotional day yesterday, and I think she just wants to stay at home and chill out for a bit.' Jacob frowned when Charlie said this, and turned to Bella.

'He proposed to you didn't he?', he asked, his voice low and dangerous. 'Dammit Bella, why'd'you say yes? I don't trust that guy, and it's not just cause of who he is.' The 'what' hung unspoken in the air. 'There's something about him that puts me on edge. I think you're making a mistake', he said angrily. Charlie opened his mouth to say something, but Bella cut in before he could speak.

'Jake, I said no.' Jacob looked at her, plainly shocked. He opened his mouth, and then closed it, looking remarkably like a goldfish.

'You said no? **You** said no?', he asked. ' But Bels, you're nuts about him. You never stop talking about him. It's always 'Edward this, Edward that' and 'Me and Edward'. I would've thought you'd've said yes before he'd finished asking.'

'Well you thought wrong Jake. I said no, and it's over between us', Bella said slightly impatiently, not pleased to have herself described in such a feeble sounding way. 'And Charlie, I'll be fine. It'll be good for me. You know I'll be safe down on the reservation, and I'd love to see everyone. It's been too long, since I got so busy.' _With Edward_ she added silently. Charlie looked from her to Jacob, and back again, before shaking his head in a 'well what do I know?' kind of way, and letting his breath out in a big gust.

'Well I guess if you're ok with it Bels. I mean, it probably will be good for you to get out of the house for a while. Just don't drink anything you shouldn't, and be back by midnight.' Bella's eyes nearly fell out of her head at this. Midnight? Her curfew with Edward was ten! Then again, Charlie **liked** Jacob. 'And say hi to Billy for me, ok?' Charlie added.

'Sure', Bella said quickly. 'You're the best Charlie!' Then she turned to Jacob, and said to him:

'I just need to go sort myself out a bit, but I'll be 15 minutes tops, I promise.' As she ran up the stairs to her room, she heard Jacob snorting.

* * *

For once, Bella kept her promise, and was downstairs when she said she'd be. She'd done her teeth, fixed her hair, put on a little makeup, and changed her outfit. The jeans were swapped in favour of a great pair of linen shorts she'd bought recently- but hadn't dared to wear in front of Edward in case they were too tempting- and a plum coloured strappy top that Renée had sent her months ago. She loved the colour, but this was Forks, and it was rarely warm enough to wear that kind of thing. In a unusual turn though, today was bright and sunny, with not a cloud in the sky. It was an opportunity not be missed, especially as the temperatures were creeping into the late seventies. She'd also found an old, faded light blue denim cap to keep her face out of the sun. Bella hated getting freckles.

Charlie wolf-whistled jokingly at her as she walked into the kitchen. Jacob said nothing, but looked her up and down in an appreciative manner. Then he frowned, and said:

'What about a jacket? It can get pretty cold late at night.' Bella was touched at his concern, but smiled and tried not to show it. She replied:

'I won't need one, you fool. I'll just steal yours. If you'll let me, that is.' She nearly choked the minute the words were out of her mouth. She might as well have batted her eyelashes at him. What was she **thinking**? This was Jacob, not Edward. I mean, sure Jake was hot and all, but she had just turned down a proposal of **marriage** for God's sake. She was meant to be being subdued, not flirting with another guy! What would Jake think of her? What would **Charlie** think of her? She panicked inwardly, even as Jake's Cheshire Cat grin stretched wider- something Bella hadn't thought was possible. But luckily, Charlie didn't seemed to have noticed anything, as he only said:

'As long as Jacob's ok with that, that's fine by me Bella. But remember: no drinking, and back by midnight, ok?' Bella nodded, and Charlie drew her into a hug. 'Have a good time Bels, and I'll see you later. And remember to say hi to Billy for me.'

'Sure Charlie', Bella said happily, and turned to Jacob. 'C'mon Jake! Let's go.' Then she walked out of the house, with Jacob following behind. She saw the bike parked on the kerb. It was the one she'd given him all that time ago. 'Jake, I can't go on this', she said. 'Charlie will **KILL** me!'

'He'll have to catch you first', said Jacob with a grin, handing her a helmet. Bella smiled in return, made an 'on your head be it' gesture, put the helmet, and climbed on to the bike behind him, holding on to his waist tightly. With a roar, the bike started, but even over the noise, Bella was able to hear Charlie's voice as they pulled away from the kerb.

'**Isabelle Swan, you get back here right NOW! You are grounded for a WEEK!**' She smiled. He'd have to catch her to ground her.


	3. Chapter II Sexy Black

**A/N: **So yeah I know it's a crap title but whatever. I hope you like the fact that I've churned out around 4,000 words for you today. I also hope you have as much fun reading WWHB as I do writing it. I don't know if I'll be able to update tomorrow, but we'll wait and see.

**Fluff warning! /woo/** Heart of Eternity, this chapter is dedicated to **you** as a massive thank you for your truly heart-warming review. Your words were my inspriation for this chapter. (If you hate it, I'm so sorry!) ;)

* * *

**Chapter II- Sexy Black:**

They made it down to the reservation in good time, and soon they joined everyone down on the beach, after stopping in at Billy's to pass on Charlie's greetings, and grab one of Jacob's –now rarely used- jackets for Bella. She picked out the leather one he'd worn that day when he'd come to her school to speak with Edward. A strange choice she supposed, when it reminded her of Edward. But then, that wasn't why she chose it. She chose the jacket because that day was the first time she noticed that Jacob was **hot**.

But when they got to the beach, it was far too hot to wear a jacket, let alone leather, so Bella put the jacket down on a pile of other coats, and went to say hi to everyone. The whole pack was there, and she was eagerly embraced by Quil, Embry and Seth, although they did almost crush her without realising. She was also welcomed enthusiastically by Emily and Leah (who seemed to have got over their enmity), and she went off with them to talk about girly things for a while. It always seemed strange to Bella that she could fit in so well here on the reservation, and yet at high school she could never put a foot right. _But they're not my family_ she thought suddenly about her classmates. Here with the pack she had brothers, sisters and a surrogate father. And Jacob. Who was what exactly? _A boyfriend?_ _A lover? A husband? _ She shocked herself for the umpteenth time that day. God, what was with her and thinking about Jacob as something **more**? Hurriedly, she pushed the thought out of her head, and jumped back into the conversation about clothes that she'd been missing while she daydreamed.

* * *

Bella managed to put all 'inappropriate' thoughts of Jacob out of her head for the rest of the afternoon, and simply enjoyed spending time with her reservation friends. It **had** been too long, she realised as she splashed in the sea with them, and fooled around. She suddenly came to the conclusion that this was one of the reasons she had turned Edward down. She never laughed with Edward like she did with the La Push pack and their friends. Their light- hearted, foolish, side- splitting fun was just not something Edward would be interested in. And Bella knew that she couldn't live like that for the rest of, well, eternity. She would get bored quickly, and then where would she be? She couldn't spend the rest of her life as a vampire hanging out with Emmett in the hope of a laugh. For starters, Rosalie would probably rip her to shreds.

At that moment she was startled out of her reverie by Jacob picking her up round the waist, and wading into the sea with Bella flung over one shoulder in a fireman's lift. Bella kicked, punched and even bit, but Jacob just laughed and said:

'Stop it Bella, that tickles.' Bella sighed. Sometimes she hated that Jacob was a 6' 2" werewolf with a stupidly high pain tolerance.

'Jake, put me down', she said. When he didn't she got mad, and poking him in the back, she shouted 'Jake, put me down **NOW**!' Jacob turned her to face him, and with a particularly evil grin, said:

'Ok Bella.' And let her go. Into the sea, which waist high on him. So chest high on Bella.

She came up spluttering, and completely soaked.

'**Jacob Black!**', she shouted angrily. Jacob, who had been sniggering with his friends, turned to face her, and paled under his copper skin when he saw the look on Bella's face. 'You. Are. So. Dead.', Bella gritted out, and began to wade towards him.

'Run, Jake, run!', shouted Sam. 'The sea monster's coming for you!', and the boys burst out laughing. But Jacob knew the look on Bella's face, and began to back away, his hands held up in a gesture of pacifism.

'Bels, it was a joke', he said, anxiously. 'A joke ok? Seriously Bella, I think you should just chill out.' Then he cringed as he realised what he'd just said, and the pack began laughing again. Bella looked furious. Jacob looked behind him to check his footing, tripped on a stone, and fell over backwards. That was all that Bella needed to splash over to him, and leap on him. She wasn't really angry, she just loved the look on Jake's face when he thought she was mad. And he **had** dropped her into the sea. So she tickled him mercilessly, knowing that he was extremely ticklish. He squirmed under her quick fingers, and giggled like a girl. But Bella was little, and Jacob was strong, so it wasn't long before he was the one tickling.

After about ten minutes, he picked her up, and waded to the shore, with Bella cradled to his chest like a child. He set her down gently, and then turned to her with a serious expression on his face.

'Go and get dry Bella. I don't want you getting a fever.' Bella looked him up and down for a long minute, before replying.

'And whose fault was that, Jake?' This earned catcalls from the guys, and smiles from the girls.

'Well we know who wears the pants in that relationship!', said Quil with a laugh. Everyone froze, and looked at Bella. She fixed Quil with a steely glare, and said, very clearly:

'Pft. Werewolves.' And rolled her eyes. As she walked towards Leah and the other girls, she heard various shouts of laughter from the pack, and cries of:

'You got OWNED Quil!', which made her smile.

* * *

Bella got dried off fairly quickly, and borrowed some clothes from Leah while her own dried out a bit. But her hair just would not dry, and it had got massively tangled.

'Ugh', she muttered in frustration. 'My hair is such a pain!'

'You could always cut it', said Leah tentatively. Bella considered the idea for a bit.

'I suppose I could. But then I don't know any hairdressers, and I wouldn't know what length to get it cut at', she said after a while.

'Oh that's easy', said Leah. 'Emily cuts hair on the reservation, and you should go short, for sure. Like a boy.'

'Ok then', Bella said, making up her mind. 'Let's cut it.'

'What? Now?', asked Leah, a look of surprise on her face. Bella shrugged and replied:

'I might as well. I mean, it's already wet, and it'll save me having to sort out the tangles.' Leah nodded, and called to Emily. She explained what Bella wanted done, and Emily looked at her hair with a gleam in her eye.

'This is going to be **great**', she said enthusiastically, and grabbing a large bag from beside her, she took out what appeared to be an entire hairdressing kit. Then she began to cut.

* * *

Half an hour later, Bella had short, elfin hair, that sat around her face in puckish spikes. She'd seen herself in the mirror, and she loved it. It made her look so much older, and her hair felt so light.

Then Jacob saw her.

He'd been out with the boys, collecting driftwood for the campfire, so he'd missed Bella's magic makeover. He walked back to the bit of beach where the girls were, and looked around for Bella. When he didn't see her, he called.

'Bella?' And got the shock of his life when a girl with short, boyishly cut hair that framed her face beautifully and made her look like an elf turned to face him, and gave him a big smile.

'D'you like it?', she asked, brimming over with happiness. Jacob nodded dumbly, unable to form coherent words or sentences. Bella looked **stunning**. I mean, Jacob had always though she looked pretty amazing, but now she was, well, **wow**…

'I think he likes it', said Emily with a giggle. Snapping back to the real world, Jacob scowled at her, and then turned back to Bella.

'It looks amazing', he said softly, and she positively _glowed_ at him. Somewhere in the pit of his stomach, he went completely liquid, and something a little like desire stirred deep within. She just looked so…_perfect_…

Then he realised he'd been staring, and he looked away, blushing madly, and wishing he was anyway where else but here. _Alone, with Bella,_ said the part of him that had melted inside. And he couldn't help but think what a good idea that was.

Jacob found he couldn't keep his eyes off her that evening. His vision seemed drawn to Bella, and his brain seemed to have gone on holiday to Tahiti, or some other exotic clime. Not that Bella appeared to mind when she caught him staring a couple of times. She just smiled at him, glowing like she'd done when he'd complimented her on her hair. And he kept wondering if maybe, just maybe, this feeling inside wasn't totally one sided…

* * *

The evening passed slowly, each hour seemingly lingering long than it should. It started getting dark at around 9.15, and by 10 the sky was black, and filled with thousands of stars. The moon hung over the ocean, full and round like a giant baseball, gilding the world with silver from its light. The night was warm, and nature seemed to hold its very breath, as if to acknowledge that nights like this one were a rare and special thing.

As the hours went by, people began to rearrange themselves round the fire, couples like Sam and Emily sitting together, all the girls and good friends like Quil and Embry, and Jacob and Bella. They talked in soft tones, a steady hum of chatter gently filling the night air and mingling with the sound of the waves breaking on the shore. Sam strummed a guitar quietly, and Bella could not remember a more beautiful, or more perfect day than this.

She was back in her own clothes, and wrapped in Jacob's jacket so she wouldn't get cold. The fire was warming her front, and she was enjoying the feeling of being enveloped in Jacob's scent –manly, but fresh, piney, and slightly like the ocean- although she would never have admitted it. She also enjoyed the way that Jacob was looking at her; like she was the most precious thing he'd ever seen. It gave her a warm feeling, and she had to keep fighting the urge to reach out and touch him. They talked about anything and everything, taking pleasure from each other's company, and both trying to ignore a nagging voice somewhere inside that said talking was not enough, and neither was friendship.

But finally, 11.20 rolled around, and Jacob stood up, brushing the sand from his jeans.

'C'mon Bels, we'd better get going if we're gonna be back by 12. And seeing how mad Charlie sounded, I think it would be best if we got there a little early.' Bella nodded, and said her goodnights to everyone, earning herself a few bone- crushing hugs from the boys of the La Push pack. Then she and Jacob walked to where he'd parked his bike, and once again he handed her a helmet.. She put it on, and climbed on to the bike behind him, but this time around, she couldn't help feeling that when she put her arms around Jake, it felt different. Less like hugging her best friend, and more like hugging her boyfriend. _Bella and Jacob _she thought to herself. Then, absent- mindedly: _Bella Black_. And she blushed to herself, glad Jacob couldn't see her, and was so focused on driving that he wouldn't notice her increased heart rate. That moment Bella realised something so blindingly obvious that she felt stupid that she hadn't seen it before. She was in love with Jacob Black. Just like she had been in love with Edward. But if anything, she loved Jacob more, because she knew that Jacob would never, ever hurt her. She suddenly knew why she felt so safe with Jake, why she enjoyed his company so much, and why those flirtatious glances of his made her legs go a little weak and her skin tingle. She only hoped he felt the same way.

Then the bike stopped.

'Bella, c'mon, we're here, and it's five to. You should probably go in.' Bella nodded into Jacob's back, then go off the bike and took off the helmet. She began to walk up the path to the house, but her legs were as tired as she was, and she stumbled. In an instant, Jacob was beside her, and he picked her up, bridal style, and carried her to the door, before gently putting on the porch. He turned to go, but Bella's voice stopped him.

'Jake', she breathed. He looked at her, and she saw something in his eyes that made her insides turn to mush. 'I had the **best** day today. Thank you. Edward was never that much fun.'

'I'm glad you had a good time, Bels', he said softly. 'I'm glad it was the best. But I think you should have the best day every day Bella, because you're so…perfect…' Then Jacob Black, werewolf and long time friend of Bella Swan, bent down and kissed his long time friend on the lips. And she kissed him back.

It was a gentle kiss, soft, sweet and lingering. The perfect first kiss. _I hope the rest are just as good_ thought Bella to herself. She wound her arms round Jacob's neck as he deepened the kiss, teasing open her mouth, and twining his tongue around hers. Unthinkingly, she moaned quietly into his mouth, so warm and so different to Edward's. And suddenly, the spell was broken. The bubble around them snapped as Jacob pulled back from Bella, a look of utter horror on his face.

'Oh GOD', he said running his hand through his hair, and staring at her, wide-eyed. 'Jesus, what have I **done**? I'm sorry Bella. I have to go. I'm **so **sorry' And then he ran out of the porch, down the path and jumped on to the bike, roaring off into the distance. Bella stayed on the porch for a full ten minutes, her hand to her lips, still wearing Jacob's jacket, before Charlie came out to see where she was. Seeing the look on her face, he sent her up to bed, no questions asked, no punishment for the bike ride given, and no comment made on her hair apart from:

'I like your hair. It suits you.'

And tonight, when the wolves howled, it was a different kind of howl. A howl of despair, that Bella knew was Jacob's, and that mirrored the unrest in her heart. Turning her back to the window, she cried silently, tears soaking wetly into her pillow. Then she lay awake until the new day finally began to dawn, grey and miserable, just like her.

* * *

**A/N:** **OMG** cliffhanger! (well sort of but anyway /woo/). I'll try to write/update the next bit asap. No promises tho. Please R&R :)

And Hearts of Eternity, there was your fluff. Did you like it?


	4. Chapter III Lonely like the Wolf

**A/N:** Woo! Chapter III! Anyways, here it is, in all it's angsty glory, with a special guest appearance from...Alice Cullen! But will Jacob reveal all??

As usual, big thank yous to everyone who reviewed:watermelon-smiles, Hearts of Eternity, eager for eternal damnation, Nixiefare, Unlove You and beccat12. You **ROX!**

Also, to the people who subscribed to WWHB: musicallydazzled, Nixiefare, Unlove You and beccat12. Loves you!

Hope you like it. Please R&R :) Chap IV coming later today!

* * *

**Chapter III:**

Bella woke up late on Sunday, and immediately wished she'd stayed asleep. She felt lousy, and totally miserable. So she curled up in her duvet and tried to fall back into unconsciousness, but to no avail. Finally, at around midday, she dragged herself out of bed and down into the kitchen, where Charlie was sat at the table reading the paper.

'Are you ok, Bels?', he asked, sounding anxious.

'I'm fine', answered Bella in a monotone. 'I just don't feel well. I think I might have a fever or something. I'm going back to bed in a minute.' And after making a large mug of hot chocolate and grabbing some cheesecake from the fridge, she trudged back up to her room, where she sat around and stared blankly at the wall.

After an hour of this, Bella realised that her hair was still salty from yesterday, so she went to the bathroom and took a long, long shower, sitting under the water and letting it was over her as she cried silently, her tears indistinguishable from the water running down her face. She eventually washed her hair, and after towelling it dry, she wandered aimlessly back to her room, listlessly picking up things, and putting them down again. She felt totally useless, and all she could think about was the look of terror on Jacob's face right after he'd kissed her. She contemplated ringing Abi, but she decided against it, as it would require interaction with another human. She sat down heavily on her bed just as Charlie knocked on door.

'Bella?', That wasn't Charlie, that was-'It's Alice. Can I come in?' Bella was shocked, and without thinking, replied:

'Sure.' Alice came in, and immediately took Bella into her arms. 'Bels, you look awful. Although I like the hair. It's not Edward is it?' Bella shook her head into Alice's shoulder. 'I didn't think so. You smell a bit like…dog…it's that werewolf isn't it? Jacob something. Jacob Black from the La Push reservation right?' Bella nodded, and before she could stop herself, she burst into tears.

'I don't know what I did!', she managed between sobs. 'I thought he liked me, but the way he looked…it was horrible.'

'Shhh', said Alice, squeezing Bella a little tighter, and then rocking her gently. 'Tell me in bit ok? Just let it out first.' And they sat together until ten minutes later Bella felt better able to cope. Then she sat up, wiped her eyes, and blew her nose on the tissue Alice handed her.

'Aren't you mad at me?', she asked Alice curiously. 'I mean, about saying no to Edward?'

'No, of course not!', replied Alice sincerely. 'A little sad maybe, as I was really looking forward to having you as a sister, and I was **thrilled** about the idea of having a wedding to organise. But not mad. You had your reasons, and if saying no was the right choice for you, then I won't judge you for that.'

'Anyway, what's the business with Jacob? Why's he got you acting like a zombie?' The 'like you were about Edward', hung unspoken, but Alice genuinely did not seem to mean it maliciously.

'I don't know', wailed Bella, and began to tell Alice about everything that had happened since yesterday morning. When she was done, Alice frowned, and sat quietly for a minute.

'Is that exactly what he said?', she asked seriously. Bella thought about for second, then nodded slowly. 'Well', said Alice, 'I don't really know what to think. It certainly seems like he likes you. The whole porch bit is definite evidence for that. So my guess would have to be that he's hiding something from you. And probably that he feels guilty about kissing you.'

'But why would he feel guilty?', asked Bella curiously.

'As I say, I'm not sure', replied Alice. 'But I would think that as you've been friends for a long time, he feels like he was taking advantage of you. Also, it's possible that he feels you're still cut up over Edward, and he was being an insensitive jerk by kissing you a day after the pair of you broke up.' Bella mulled Alice's words over, nodding shortly.

'That would make sense I suppose. But I do think he's hiding something. His face looked like he knew something I didn't. It looked like there was a reason why he looked so appalled. And I'm not sure, but I think he was horrified by himself.' Bella broke off, and let out a huge sigh. 'God, I wished he'd stuck around and explained it to me. It would make everything so much easier.'

'Yeah, but he's a guy. Just give him a little time. He'll talk to you by this time next week I'll bet. And when he does, make sure he knows never to mess with you like this again', Alice said with a distinctly evil smile.

'Oh I will', said Bella with an equally scary smile. Then they both burst into fits of giggles, and began to talk about other things.

* * *

The next morning, Bella went to school as usual, and passed off any sadness out or of character behaviour on to her break up with Edward. She nodded to the Cullens as she passed their table at lunch, and got a bit smile from Emmett and Alice. Rosalie and Jasper merely inclined their heads, and Edward seemed unable to meet her eyes, instead looking studiously at the table. She figured it would be this way, but it still hurt. But she shrugged her shoulders mentally as she sat down, knowing that as the Cullens would be around for at least another year, (this information came courtesy of Alice) she might as well be as civilised with them as possible.

She ate her lunch quietly, not participating much in the conversation, and tried very hard not to run out of school and dash of to La Push to find Jake and squeeze an explanation out of him.

The rest of the day passed in much the same way, except for an awkward Biology lesson where she and Edward sat next to each other for a whole hour and ten without exchanging a single word.

But finally it was over, and she thankfully drove home, and sat down to do her homework before making dinner for herself and Charlie. They ate in companiable silence, and after she was done tidying, Bella went upstairs, took a shower and went to bed, drifting off to sleep soon after she turned out the lights.

* * *

The next three days passed in much the same way, and by Friday, Bella thought she was going to go mad if Jacob didn't do some serious explaining, and **soon**. She pulled into the car park at school, parked her truck, locked up, and was walking towards the main school building when she saw him.

He was leaning against the bike, looking gorgeous as always, if a little ill at ease. Bella could not help comparing this to the last time he'd come to school. The differences were shocking. Even so, she didn't stop herself from checking him out. He was wearing a black pair of biking boots, dark, well-fitting jeans, and a tight green t-shirt that stretched itself over his impressively toned physique. His long hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, but a few of the shorter strands had escaped, and were framing his face. He was the picture of health, and stunningly handsome with it, even if it was in a slightly rough, edgy kind of way. She sighed as he spotted her, and began to walk away from him. But within seconds, he had caught her up.

'Bella, I need to talk to you', he said, his voice tinged with desperation.

'Why would I want to talk to you Jacob?', Bella asked him, turning to face him, her green eyes practically spitting fire. 'You kissed me, then looked at me like I was Frankenstein and left me without an explanation. That was nearly a week ago.'

'Look Bella, I'm really, really sorry', Jacob said, obviously trying to keep his voice level. 'I can explain it all to you I promise, just please come to the reservation with me ok?'

'Jeez Jake, did you really think it would be that easy?', Bella hissed at him. 'Did you think you could just apologise and I'd be ok with it? Because I'm not, and it's going to take a lot more than that for me to forgive.'

'I know Bella. And if you'd just come with me, I'll tell you all about it, and then you'd forgive me.'

'Jake, I've got classes. I'm going to them', Bella said coldly, channelling all her frustration from the past four days into those few weeks. Then she turned away from him, and walked towards the school.

'God, I **knew** you were going to be like this', Jacob muttered, almost to himself. Then he strode up behind Bella, scooped her up in his arms, and carried her over to his bike.

Keeping her arms pinned with one hand, he put a helmet on her, put on his own, sat her behind him, and started up the bike, speeding away so that Bella **had ** to grab hold of him. Then he drove down to La Push, and took Bella to the clifftop that she'd once jumped off.

By the time she got off the bike, Bella was furious.

'Jake, what the hell!', she shouted at him. 'Since when do you kidnap me from school? And **what** are we doing here? I want an explanation, I want one now, and it had better be **good**.'

Jacob, who had been standing near the edge the cliff, turned to face her, a serious expression on his face.

'Bella, do you know what imprinting is?'

* * *

**A/N:** I should explain that in WWHB, Jacob hasn't old Bella about imprinting. Chap IV coming later today! What will happen next? (duh-duh-DUH)

* * *


	5. Chapter IV It's Never Easy

**A/N:** Woo, fluff! Plus, the deep, dark secret that Jacob's been hiding. Have you guessed what it is yet? ;) /smirks/

To all my reviewers, fizz3221, X. Buffy Lurves Spike .X and not complaining, you're hotties and I love you. (in a totally awesome/normal way, I promise)

Also, the sexy people who subscribed to WWHB, fizz3221, xPoisonxPrincessx, amalin06 and swishpot. Hugs to you!

And fizz3221, you **ROX** for telling me I'd messed up. I might have to stick with my version for the mo, but who knows? Jacob migth morph into his real height of 6' 7" at some point in the future... And maybe Bella was wearing contacts that day. (You know you love the OOC really!)

This chapter is for everyone who has subscribed/reviewed in the history of WWHB. You're the reason I'm still writing! :) Milk and cookies for you!

Anyways, I hopes you likes Chap IV! I hope to have Chap V up today, but it'll probs be up tomoz, as it's proving tricky to write. (The long awaited smut is going to be in there. WOO!)

* * *

**Chapter IV- It's Never Easy:**

'Imprinting?', Bella said, completely baffled. 'Uh no. It sounds a bit artsy crafty if you ask me.' Jacob smiled at this, but it wasn't a happy smile, rather more of a wry grin.

'I wish you were right', he said, then sighed. 'It's a werewolf thing. And it's why I left on Saturday.' For a minute, he seemed unable to say more. Then he drew himself up, and began to talk.

'All werewolves have a mate. They have to. But you don't really get a choice in who you fall for, which is why you get situations like with Emily and Leah.' Bella frowned, and motioned for him to continue. 'When you choose a mate, it's called imprinting. Sometimes it takes you by surprise, like with Sam and Emily.'

'So that's why-', Bella began to say.

'Yeah. Sam hadn't met Emily before, and then Leah introduced them, and without even realising, he'd imprinted on her. And that was it. Once you've imprinted, you're not going to change your mind. Leah was pretty mad, but then she became a werewolf too, so she understood it. She's kinda forgiven them now.' He paused for a bit, and in that moment, Bella said:

'So what's all this imprinting stuff got to do with me?' Jacob stared at her in surprise, and then shook his head with a sigh.

'God, Bella, can you not work it out? Am I actually have going to explain it you?' Bella shook her head, and said angrily:

'I'm sorry that I don't get whatever it is that your hinting at, but there's no need to treat me like I'm stupid. Jeez Jake-' Jacob blurted out:

'Bella, it's you. I've imprinted with you.' Bella felt her jaw drop open, and she was sure it hit the floor. For a full minute, she just stared at Jacob, who shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. Finally, she spoke.

'You…imprinted…on **me**?' Jacob nodded, and seemed unable to meet her gaze. 'But, what does that mean. Does that mean you're only interested in me because of some stupid werewolf thing?' she asked angrily.

'No, Bella it's not like that!', Jacob insisted desperately.

'Oh and how is not like that Jake? Because from where I'm standing it certainly looks that way!', she said scathingly.

'It's not like that because I was already in love with you!' The words hung in the air, and this time Bella thought her eyes would drop out of her head. Jacob blushed a little, but seemed to draw up his courage and spoke again.

'I already loved you before I imprinted Bella. I mean, it was great in one way, because it meant I didn't have to love you and be with someone else. But then you were with Edward, and I figured I had no chance. And now…well now I don't know what to think. You sure seem like you hate me at the moment.' Bella's brain slowly processed this information, and even when it had, the words still didn't sink in. Then, at last, she managed to put a sentence together.

'But why did you leave on Friday? I mean, if you, umm, loved me and all?' Jacob moved around a little before looking her in the eye and replying.

'Because you'd only just broken up with Edward, and I felt like a jerk. I thought I was taking advantage, and I felt _awful_. Also, I hadn't told about imprinting, and well, Bella it's really serious. Imprinting is for life. And I didn't want to start something without letting you know that I'm never going to stop loving you, and I want to be with you forever. If that freaks you out, I'm sorry, but you have to know.'

Bella was stunned. Her brain had shut down completely, and her ability to form words or sentences had deserted her. She sat down with a thump, and stared blankly out at the sea. Jacob came and sat beside her in silence, and jumped when she finally spoke.

'Forever's a really long time Jake.' Jacob nodded.

'I know Bels, I know. But it's true.' Bella sighed a little. It was all so **much**. I mean, forever? Jeez, she'd turned that down once already. Not that this actually would be forever, because she knew werewolves had a similar lifespan to humans, maybe a little longer. But still. Forever?

'Jake, I don't know if I'm ready for forever', she breathed at last. Jacob nodded again.

'I understand', he said, and got up, turning to leave.

'Jake, I said I wasn't sure if I was ready for forever. But I'm ready for now.' Bella turned to look at him, trembling slightly. She met his eyes, and saw the shock on his face.

'Bella, are you sure?', he asked, a look of desperate hope alive on his features. She nodded slowly, and smiled at him.

'Yes.'

That was all it took. In an instant, he'd seized her and was crushing her in a hug.

'Bella Swan, you've just made me the happiest werewolf alive', he whispered fiercely into her hair. Bella looked up at him and smiled, feeling her skin tingle as he smiled a beautiful smile back.

Then he kissed her. And it was just as good as the first time. In fact, it was better.


	6. Chapter V Lust or Love?

* * *

**A/N:** Ahhhhh! It's finally here! Chapter V, a saga of epic proportions (4,000 plus words) and, /boom-TISH!/ SMUT! I am in a soggy pile on the floor at the moment, praying that you won't all kill me for being crap. Also, I don't know if I'll be able to update again today as I am out, and I have been having visitors to stay since monday. (See how good to you I am?)

AHHNYWAYS...

This is dedicated to everyone who's reviewed, I can't mention you by name as my computer won't let me access my email and it's being too slow to check up on the reviews page. Mega soz, but fear not, I love you all! Also to Agent in Lilac for subscribing to WWHB. Big hugs!

Here goes with the lurve, and the sexy sunburn lotion. /mwahahahaha/ And is it too scary for little 13 yr olds? (I think people think they're more innocent than they are, but I'll rate it M if you think I should.)

PLEEEASE R&R!

* * *

**Chapter V Lust or Love?:**

About ten minutes later, when they were both thoroughly breathless, Jacob put Bella down, a massive goofy smile plastered on his face. Then he frowned a little, before turning slightly pink.

'Umm, this is kinda awkward, but I should probably get it out of the way. You know how you said you weren't ready for forever?' Bella nodded. 'Well, umm, the thing is about imprinting, the person you imprint with, if you, uh, consummate the relationship, they're bonded to you for life. It's an unbreakable bond until you…well…die.' Jacob blushed furiously, looking anywhere but Bella.

'I'll bear that in mind', Bella said softly. 'And why are you so embarrassed about it?'

'Well, y'know, you might not have wanted to…', Jacob said, still unable to meet her eyes. Bella smiled to herself. He was so sweet when he was bashful.

'I can't think of anyone else I'd rather be with', she whispered, touching his face gently.

'But the bond…', he said uncomfortably, trailing off, but meeting her eyes at last.

'We'll cross that bridge when we come to it', Bella said firmly. 'Anyway, we're not planning to, you know, here, so it's really not a problem at the moment.' Looking at Jacob, who was still obviously uncomfortable, she leant over and kissed him on the cheek.

'Cheer up', she said brightly. 'There's lots of other fun things we can do that aren't…sex.'

'True', said Jacob with an evil grin, and he grabbed her, wrestling her to the ground and tickling her mercilessly.

* * *

With Jacob, Bella felt the days flew by. Graduation came around in no time, and seeing Jacob's smiling face as she walked on to the stage to shake hands with the principal really made her day. Then, suddenly, she was on holiday for eight long weeks, with nothing to do except have fun and enjoy herself down at La Push.

She spent a **lot** of time down on the reservation, mainly hanging out with everyone else, but also spending some quality time alone with Jacob. They'd been going out for nearly two and half months by mid July, but they'd been taking things slowly, in a mutual agreement. Jacob didn't want to pressure Bella into anything, and Bella wasn't ready for a full-on relationship so soon after leaving Edward. It suited them both to move cautiously, and they were very happy together. Charlie and Billy seemed to approve of the couple too. It seemed as close to perfection as you could get. Then one day, everything changed, although not necessarily for the worse.

* * *

It was a baking hot Wednesday, and Jacob was busy doing God-knows-what, so Bella had decided to go for a sunbathe by herself, down on a little sheltered beach in a rarely visited part of La Push. She rode her bike down there (Jake still had it hidden in his garage), and walked down the cliff path to the bay. Then she stripped off to her bikini, spread out her towel, put on some sunscreen, and lay on her front, undoing her straps so she wouldn't get tan lines.

At first, it was lovely, lying in the sun, listening to the sea breaking against the shore. But after quite a long period of time, she began to get too hot. So she turned on to her back, put on the large sun hat she'd brought with her, and shut her eyes again. Five minutes later, she sat up sharply, a sudden thought shocking her out of her peaceful daze. What if she got triangular tan lines on her chest and she had to wear and strappy top? _Oh my God!_ thought Bella in horror. _I'd look like a patchwork person!_ Then she thought, _ but there's no one here, and the beach isn't easily overlooked. If I took off my bikini top, I'd get an even tan. And it's not like anyone would see me._ Bella was not an exhibitionist, or massively self confident about her breasts, but the thought of the white flesh in amidst her tan was enough to drive her to desperate measures. So she took off her top, putting it within easy reach, just in case anyone happened to come on to the beach. Then she settled back down on her towel, feeling much more comfortable. _It's so peaceful here_, she thought sleepily, and smiled to herself as she listened to the soft rush of water as the waves broke on to the shore…

* * *

The next thing Bella knew was pain. She opened her eyes to find herself in a darkened room which she recognised as Jacob's. She was lying in Jacob's bed, and her skin was on fire. She sat up, and a wave of pain hit her.

'Ahhh!', she cried. Or at least, she tried to. It came out as more of a croak, as her throat seemed to have been replaced by the Sahara desert. Wincing, she lay back down, lifted up the sheet that covered her, and gaped in horror. Even in the semi-dark she could see that she was a deep shade of pink. Lobster pink, to be precise. _OH.MY.GOD._ she thought, in despair. _This has to be the worst moment of my life._ Then Bella realised something that suddenly made the day get even worse. If she was here, in Jacob's bed naked but for a pair of bikini briefs, that meant that he must have brought her here. Which meant he'd seen her in her lobster-like state. And he'd seen her topless. Inwardly, Bella wailed. She might not be the world authority on relationships, but even she realised that the first time your boyfriend saw you topless was not meant to be when you fell asleep in the sun unintentionally and burned yourself a nice, vibrant shade of pink. Lord, she should've been having some deeply sexy bra removed, that would expose her breasts in seductive slow motion. This should definitely be added to every girl's worst nightmare list.

She collapsed back on to the bed with a groan. A few seconds later, the door opened, and Jacob walked in. Quickly, Bella grabbed the sheet and pulled it up to her shoulders.

'Bella?', he asked tentatively. 'Are you awake?' Bella sat up, clutching the sheet to her, and wincing in silent pain.

'Yeah.' She was going to say more, but her mouth was really dry, and she wasn't in the mood to make small talk.

'How're you feeling?' asked Jacob anxiously. 'I was really worried you might be going into a coma when I found you. Your pulse was really, really slow.'

'My head hurts like hell, my skin is on fire, and my throat feels like it went through a drought', Bella said grumpily. Then she regretted it. 'I'm sorry Jake. I didn't mean to snap at you. It just hurts. A lot.'

'It's ok Bels', he said with a gentle smile. 'I know it must be really sore. But I can get you plenty of cold water to drink, and some tablets for your head. And I'll ask Dad if he has any aftersun lotion or something that would help the pain. I'll be back in a minute, ok?' Bella nodded mutely, watching him leave the room and feeling her eyes prickle. Angrily, she dashed away her unshed tears with the back of her hand, wincing at the friction on her skin. Why was she crying because she had a boyfriend who was really good to her? It must've been spending too long in the sun.

But she didn't have too long to think about it, because at that moment, Jacob appeared in the room again, bearing a tray with a large jug of water, a glass, some tablets, and a big pot of something with 'Herbal burns lotion' scrawled across it in Billy's handwriting. He put the tray down on his desk, poured a glass of water from the jug, handed it to Bella, and then sat down on the end of the bed, regarding her calmly as she sipped at her water, holding up the sheet with one hand.

'Better?', he asked when she'd drunk half the glass.

'Much', replied Bella gratefully. He handed her a couple of tablets.

'Take these. They're just aspirin, but they should help with the headache', he explained, seeing her blank look.

'Thank you', she said, before swallowing them down with a big gulp of water. 'So are you going to tell me how I got here, and why I'm not still burning to a crisp on the beach?', she asked curiously.

'Well I had finished my jobs, and I knew you were going down to the hidden cove, so I figured I'd go down there and surprise you. I ran down there, expecting to find you reading a book or something, and you were, well, asleep and, uh, like you are now. And really pink. So I figured you must have a touch of heatstroke when I couldn't wake you up, and I packed up your stuff and took you back here on the bike. Then I just put you to bed and hoped you'd wake up. But don't worry, no one saw you. Most people are asleep mid afternoon, including Billy, and the rest of the pack had gone for a run in the mountains.' He looked at her bashfully, blushing slightly, and then continued. 'I didn't, y'know, do anything. I was just worried about you.'

Bella smiled at him. She loved it when he got all embarrassed. He was so **cute**, she could've eaten him with a spoon.

'It's ok. I know you wouldn't do anything. I really like that you care so much. So, thank you Jake.' He nodded, returning her smile. 'Now what's that lotion I see over there?'

'Oh that's something Billy says is great on burnt skin, either sunburnt, or burns burnt. I'll leave you to put it on, if you like.' Bella thought it over, weighing up self-consciousness against pain and inefficiency. Pain won.

'Jake', she said slowly, 'Would you do it for me?' He looked at her, shock written plainly on his face. 'Please? I just can't. It's too painful.' He nodded slowly, looking slightly apprehensive.

'If you're sure', he said. Bella nodded, unable to speak as her breath caught in her throat. 'Ok then', Jacob said, exhaling loudly. 'I'll start on your back.' He grabbed the lotion and came and sat behind her. She heard the sound of him unscrewing the lid, and then he said: 'This is going to be really cold, and it might sting a little.' She nodded silently. 'Here goes nothing', she heard him mutter under his breath. Then she felt a **very** cold blob of lotion on her back, and she winced slightly. 'Sorry', Jacob said instantly. She shook her head slightly, not trusting herself to speak as his fingertips trailed slowly over her skin. It felt good, really good, despite the pain from her sunburn. She shivered slightly as his fingers moved on her, travelling slowly lower down her back, and occasionally leaving her skin to get more lotion from the tub. He was gentle, and very tender, and the whole experience began to feel deeply sensual. Bella shut her eyes, concentrating on Jacob's fingers moving on her skin. She sighed slightly as he worked down the small of her back to the top her bikini bottoms. He finished her back, then moved on to her shoulders and neck. Finally, he was done.

'Bella?', he breathed into her ear, sending shivers down her spine, and tingles over her skin.

'Mhmm?', she replied softly.

'I've done your back now. Where next?', he asked, his voice low and strangely level. Bella practically melted into a puddle.

'My legs', she breathed, her eyes still shut, very distracted by the cool puffs of air Jacob was blowing on to her neck.

'Ok. But you'll need to turn around', he said gently. She nodded, and opened her eyes. Then she crossed her arms over her chest and turned around. Jacob didn't look at her, instead scooping out some of the lotion and rubbing it on to her right foot in slow circles. Then he began to work his way along her calf, massaging the lotion in tenderly, soothing away the pain with his magical fingers. He got to her knee, stopped and got some more lotion, placing it gently on to her skin, just above the knee. Still not looking at her, he lifted her leg up, and bent it, before placing it back on the bed. Then he worked his way slowly along her thigh, seemingly ignorant to the fact that Bella was dissolving into liquid under his touch. He worked the lotion into her skin, right up to the bottoms. Once he was done, he repeated the process on her left leg, never looking up from his task. Bella was deeply grateful for this, as she had to bite her lip to keep from moaning, and she didn't want him to see her losing control. The combination of over sensitive skin and Jacob's tender caresses (which was what they'd turned into) was driving her insane, and there was nothing she could do about it. She was desperately fighting the need to grab her gorgeous boyfriend and kiss him until they were breathless and panting with desire. Dammit, why'd Jacob have to be so **sexy**? Then she realised that he was done with her legs, and he'd need to move on to somewhere else.

_Shit_,Bella thought anxiously. _I've got two arms and a stomach and then there's nothing left except my chest. And although I know he'd let me do if I said so, I __**did**__ kind of ask him to put the lotion on for me. He's probably expecting me to let him._ Then she shook herself mentally. _Don't be stupid. This is__ Jake__. He won't do anything you don't want him to. And it's not like you don't want him to anyway, deep down. Sure, maybe it's not sexy lingerie and seduction, but he's your __boyfriend__ and he __**loves**__ you. And he's already seen them. The hell with it, just let him put the lotion on!_ Her internal struggle over, she stuck out an arm to Jacob, who took it without a word, and began his sensual herbal burns lotion message again. He worked the lotion into arm carefully, his touches gentle and smooth. When he was done, Bella offered out her other arm, not bothering herself to cover up (for two reasons; she didn't want to wipe off any of the lotion, and she decided that at this point, trying to be modest seemed a little pointless). Finally, he finished the left arm, and it was at that moment that Bella suddenly started to find it very hard to breath.

Jacob looked at, his eyes loving and soft, but with desire flickering deep in their depths.

'Are you sure?' The query was asked simply, no hidden meanings or sub-text, but Bella suddenly felt like she was answering a totally different question. She thought it over for a second, and then she knew the answer. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Jacob leaned forward slightly, and cupping her face with his hands, he kissed her passionately, but lovingly. Then he pulled back, and while she was gasping for breath, he said quietly but determinedly, looking her straight in the eyes:

'Isabella Marie Swan, you are beautiful thing I have ever seen, and I think you are utterly perfect.' And he smiled at her, the most heart-achingly gorgeous smile Bella thought she'd ever see -even if she lived as long as Carlisle-, making her smile back in response without even realising it. She felt buoyed up by Jacob's love, and she was so far away that she didn't notice Jacob was saying something until he tapped her on the shoulder.

'Bella? C'mon, Bels, turn around.' She nodded in comprehension, and turned her back to him. 'Now shuffle back a bit', he said commandingly, and she did as she was told, shuffling back into the 'V' of Jacob's now outstretched legs, and rested her back against his stomach. He lifted up her arms, and placed them on his thighs so that he'd be able to reach her stomach and breasts. Then he reached for the lotion again, scooped some out of the pot, and began smoothing it into the skin on her belly. When that was done, he worked his way on to her breasts, taking no more and no less time on them than necessary, but treating them much more carefully than he had done the rest of her body, his touches feather- light and infinitely tender. Bella couldn't help arching into the touch a little, her head resting on his left shoulder, her elbows on his strongly muscled thighs. But Jacob refused to do anything more than rub in the lotion, leaving Bella full of lust and unsatisfied. Far too soon, he was done, and was rubbing the lotion into her shoulders. Then, he was finished, and for a long while they just sat there together, Bella with her eyes on at Jacob's feet as she stroked his jeans-clad knee gently, and Jacob with his eyes closed and leaning his head on Bella's, his face buried in her hair as he inhaled her scent. He wrapped his arms loosely around her waist, accidentally brushing against her breasts as he did so.

Something in Bella snapped. She turned around quickly, pushing Jacob back on to the bed, and stopped his exclamation of surprise by kissing him forcefully, her hands holding his face. Eagerly, he returned the kiss, their tongues twining together, exploring and battling for dominance as his hands roamed over her back, finally settling on the small of her back, pulling Bella closer. The feeling of his bare chest against hers sent a wave of desire through Bella, and she broke from the kiss, instead turning her attention to Jacob's neck, sucking, licking and biting her way down from just below his ear to the hollow of his neck. Then she continued her ministrations down his chest, pausing to inflict a little exquisite torture on his nipples, before continuing down his six pack, further than she'd ever gone before. She rang her tongue lightly over his toned muscles, eliciting a gasp from him. Then she slowly began to kiss her way down the thin line of black hair than ran from his tummy hole down into his jeans, and beyond.

'Bella…ah! Bella, seriously! You've got to stop!', Jacob groaned desperately, his voice rough and his breathing ragged. Bella stopped, and looked up at him, halfway through unbuttoning his jeans. She looked at him curiously. 'It's not…it's not that I don't want you…that...', he mumbled unevenly. Bella knew that. She could feel his erection through the jeans. Hell, she could **see** it. He elaborated, explaining, his voice becoming stronger as he went on. 'It's just that, if you do that, then, well, I don't know what will happen after, and, more importantly, I don't know if I'll try to stop it. And I don't want you to be bonded with me for life just because you got caught up in the heat of the moment and I couldn't say no. If you do decide you want to be with me, and we sleep together, I want you to be completely sure that this is what you want, and I want you to have realised that at a time when we have all our clothes on and aren't _involved_, ok?' He sat up, and looked her. 'You know I love you, and hell, I want _this_, **us**, so much that it's nearly driving me crazy. But I don't want you to make a decision you'll regret.' Bella nodded, astonished that in the midst of their passionate session, her boyfriend had been able to consider that being carried away desire might be fun, but it wasn't a sensible decision given the situation. God, he was so good he was practically a _saint_.

'I love you Jake', she whispered, her eyes prickling a bit. 'You're amazing.' Jacob looked at her in shock. 'What?', she asked anxiously.

'D'you mean that?', he said, his voice shaking slightly. 'Do you love me Bella?' She nodded, realising that although she'd spoken without thinking, she meant it. 'Yes, yes I do Jacob. I love you.' And she leant forward and kissed him gently, so different from their earlier kisses, but far more meaningful, and sweetly lingering. She broke away at last. 'I should probably get going' she said regretfully. Charlie must be worrying.' Jacob nodded.

'It's nearly six. And your stuff is over there, by the way.' He pointed to the chair by his desk, where Bella could see her bag, and her clothes draped on top of it. She smiled at him, slipped off the bed, walked over to the desk, and rummaged in her bag for her bra. She found it, and put it on, turning to see Jacob sitting on the edge of the bed, his legs over the side, his eyes fixed firmly on the floor.

'You're not watching?', she asked playfully, a smile on her face.

'Uh, no', he said, still not looking at her. 'The you being nearly naked thing is really **not** helping with the whole not throwing you on to the bed and ravishing you senseless here and now issue.'

'Oh. _Oh._', Bella said, understanding immediately as she put on her t- shirt, wincing as it rubbed against her skin. 'Sorry. I should have thought of that.'

'Don't worry', Jacob said, looking up at her with a grin. 'You've never believed how hot you are.'

'Oh so you're saying I should act like the hotty I supposedly am?', Bella teased as she stepped carefully into her shorts and did them up. 'Well in that case, Mr Jacob Black, I think I'll be leaving now, as I'm clearly too good for you.' She picked up her bag, and began to walk towards Jacob's bedroom door.

'C'mere you', her boyfriend said with a wolfy growl, before kissing her thoroughly. 'Don't swell that pretty head of yours.'

Bella smiled up at him, her arms wrapped around his neck.

'I love you', she said, the playfulness gone, if not the light-hearted buoyancy that seemed to fill the air.

'Love you too', replied Jacob, planting a kiss on her nose. 'Now go home before Charlie comes over here and shoots me for kidnapping his daughter, **again**.' Bella laughed, and kissed him once more before turning and walking out of the room. She walked slowly down the stairs, a happy smile on her face, and stopped into the living room to say hi to Billy before walking out of the front door to where her truck was parked. She got in, and turned the key in the ignition, pulling away from the house, the taste of Jacob's skin lingering on her lips. She looked in the rearview mirror, and saw a tall, shirtless figure standing in Billy Black's front door, watching her drive away, and she felt warm inside. It was a wonderful thing to be in love.

* * *

**VERY IMPORTANT A/N:**

Hola my pretties. To lemon or not to lemon, that is the question? Personally, I was very pleased with my smut. It didn't seem totally crapola to me. Therefore, although I said I wouldn't, I have decided I **might** write a lemon for my OTP. But it hinges on this: if I get say, 20 reviewers who write and tell me 'wow that was toatlly gorgeous, please write a lemon!' (or mwrods to that affect), then I'll write the lemon. If you all tell my this was crap, I obviously won't.

**A/N II:** I am now going to pre-empt anyone coming to flame me about Bella and Jake being massively OOC. They are, I know, but here's what I thought. Jacob's sixteen, and a boy. Which therefore makes him horny. Bella's eighteen, and a girl, which makes her horny too, if less desperate. They're alone, together, in a room, and Bella is topless. Sure she may not be the most experienced gal ever, but I figure she reads books and watches movies, so she knows a thing or two about how to make a man squirm (I don't see her learning this from Edward tho). Jacob is probably relatively inexperienced, and he's just gonna love the fact that his hot, topless girlfriend is giving him hickeys. And is will to go that bit further with him. /ahem. basically you get what I'm on about/ So yeah. OOC maybe, but very teenage? All the way! (Or at least, I think so.)

* * *


	7. Chapter VI Closer

**A/N:** Dear All, I have a confession to make. I am a complete and utter push over, and I have caved in to my inner desire. So I wrote a lemon. Despite the fact, as I have mentioned a coupla times, I can't write lemon. (This is mainly because I start to giggle about some words. No, I'm not twelve, but my sexy male teenage friends have given me their sense of humour for the next 2 years or so.) Anyway, the thing is, I got some awesome reviews for the last chapter from the usual crowd (**fizz3221, Unlove You, X. Buffy Lurves Spike .X, not complaining and watermelon- smiles. Are you sure you're not angels? Cause you ROX.**), and I thought, ah what the hell, I'll write the damn thing.

So after a hugely busy day, I ditched my visitors and came to sit down and write me a lemon. Which took me a lot longer than I thought it would. But anyway, here it is, in all its glory. (Hence the changing to Rated M. I don't want to be pulled off for exposing ickle kiddies to 'explicit/adult ' material. **X. Buffy Lurves Spike .X**, this is one of two, maybe three lemons that I'm going to be writing in the next god knows how many chapters. It's not a shag fest, I promise.) The lemon is marked with pretty emboldened letters, so for anyone who isn't into can skip it if they so choose.

And anyway, here it is, the lemon. I'll leave you to guess what happens because I'm mean like that. Also, here are a couple of tracks I think go with the fic:

Some Kinda Rush - Booty Luv, for anytime there's a motorbike, fast car, or exciting piece of action

Closer- Ne-Yo, for deeply sexy stuff, like the aftersun lotion massage scene. I know the words don't match, but the tone is right.

All the lovely people who have subscribed to WWHB (now including **XxRandomxXlove-twilight, aeebonystar and sexyangelbunny**), I think you're all awesome, but I **wish** you would review! I'd love to know what you think of the story!

Also, Hearts of Eternity, where are you? I was kinda hoping you'd have an opinion on the aftersun massage! If I scared you away with my HUGE review reply, I'm sorry, I'll to cut back next time. :)

So, yes. I'm gonna shut up now.

* * *

**Chapter VI- Closer:**

The next four weeks passed in a whirl of fun and sexual frustration for Bella. The fun part was hanging out with everyone at La Push, or shopping with Alice. The sexual frustration was there pretty much all the time. Contrary to common belief, teenage girls are just as horny as guys. Less desperate perhaps, but the desire is still there. And when Bella spent most of her time with her hot boyfriend who wouldn't let her sleep with him, it nearly drove her wild. He seemed to do his utmost to make her lose her sanity, sending her smouldering glances across the campfire, and looking incredibly sexy all the time. A small part of her said _You only think that because you can't have him_, but just like the rest of her, it dissolved into mush whenever Jacob kissed her.

She spent many of her nights at La Push too. If it was warm, she slept outside, on a blanket under the stars, with Jacob acting as both comforter and hot water bottle. If it was cold, or raining, they slept in Jacob's room, sharing his double bed. Well, they shared his bed. They didn't sleep all that much. They spent a lot of time talking, and even more time getting to know each other, their senses alive as they mapped each other's bodies by sight, sound, scent, touch and taste. They never went all the way, but there were a few times when they got close. At that point, one or the other would stop, pull back and get out of bed with groan. If it was Jacob, he'd go into the bathroom for a cold shower (the only reason Bella didn't join him was because she **hated** cold showers), and if it was Bella she'd go down to the kitchen, fetch herself a glass of something cold, and pace around downstairs for five minutes or so until she thought she could go back to bed without being jumped on by a deeply frustrated werewolf. On the night of July 24th, Jacob's birthday, she ended up downstairs by about 11pm, pacing in furious circles around the kitchen table, listing all the CDs she owned in alphabetical, chronological and favourite order in an attempt to dampen her desire and keep her from running straight back upstairs. She actually slept on a couch in the living room that time.

Other nights, she would wake up alone, a note on her pillow. It was always the same note, but Bella didn't mind. It made her smile every time she saw it. It said:

_I'm out with the pack. Don't worry about me, I'll be back by dawn. I love you._

_Always, Jacob_

It gave her a funny little feeling inside that she didn't quite understand, but she liked anyway. Then she'd fold the note up, put it on the bedside table, and go back to sleep. And if she woke up at dawn, Jacob would be back, just like he'd said. Bella loved that.

Charlie didn't seem to mind her staying over at Jacob's, but he put a strict veto on allowing Jacob to stay overnight in his house. This didn't really bother Bella as Jake would come in through the window anyway, and they'd just have to be extra quiet. It was actually very good for improving her self control. Billy was a deep sleeper. Charlie wasn't. Still, at least he let her stay over at La Push. She thought she'd go mad if she wasn't allowed that. Being without Jacob actually _hurt_. It felt like some vital part of her was missing, like her little personal sun was absent from the sky. Without Jacob, the world was a darker, duller place. And then, just over two weeks before she left to go to college, Bella finally saw the thing that had been staring her in the face for at least a month.

* * *

Friday dawned dreary and grey, heavy clouds hanging over Forks ominously. Bella was in her own bed, and Jacob lay beside her, his arm draped heavily over her bare waist, his body moulded to the curve of hers. Carefully, so as not to wake him, Bella got out of bed, and began to search for the large t-shirt that usually wore to bed with her pj shorts. She'd thrown it off the previous evening, and now she had no idea where it was. Stumbling around in the half light, she stubbed her toe on her desk, cursing loudly, and waking Jacob up.

'Bella? What the?', he mumbled blearily. 'You alright?' Bella hopped around on foot, hissing at the pain. A minute or so later, she gingerly lowered her foot to the floor and said:

'Just my usual clumsiness Jake. I was looking for my t-shirt, and I stubbed my toe on the desk.' Jacob chuckled softly.

'Come back to bed before you hurt yourself even more', he said lovingly. 'I'll find the t-shirt. Not that you need it. In fact, I think you should dress like that all the time.' Then he stood up gracefully, a dark silhouette against the faint light coming through the curtains.

'You would', said Bella grumpily, gratefully climbing back into bed and curling up under the covers. Half a minute later Jacob joined her, the t-shirt in his hand. Bella gaped at him. 'How did you find that so quick?', she asked in amazement. Jacob shrugged.

'I have really good night vision.' Then before she could say anything else, he silenced her with a kiss, and the t-shirt was quickly forgotten.

**LEMON begins**

* * *

A good five minutes later, they broke apart, breathless and panting. Bella leaned forward to nibble gently on Jacob's ear, knowing he liked it, and it was a really easy way to turn him on. He responded, kissing along her neck –not biting, because on her pale skin she'd have marks for **ages**, as they'd already discovered (much to Bella's mortification, it had been Charlie who drew attention to this fact)- and sucking gently, groaning quietly, sending pleasant vibrations across her skin.

His hands roamed over her body, finally settling on her breasts, cupping them and using his long fingers to tease the nipples to hardness. Bella arched into the touch, biting her lip to stifle a moan, her eyelids fluttering shut.

'Oh Jake!…', she breathed out, the sensations he created washing over her in a wave of pleasure. She loved how skilful he was, always knowing just how to touch her and drive her wild, but never falling into a routine. She bit down firmly on his shoulder as his hands wandered over her skin, and his mouth worked its way sensually down her neck to the base, where he paused to lick tenderly at the pulse point. Then he stopped, and kissed her slowly, passionately, in a way that made her shiver in delight and wet between her thighs. The kiss was long, and lingered on just long enough to reduce Bella to a quivering puddle of desire. When Jacob's lips left her own, she moaned in quiet disappointment, but then they began to move down her throat, and she found she didn't mind so much.

His kissed down to her collarbone, but instead of moving outwards, Jacob shifted down the bed, the kisses going down too, smoothly slipping over the skin of her breasts. Bella gasped, loving the feeling as he gently blew on the damp path he'd left, making her shiver in delight. Then he took one her nipples into his mouth, sucking on it as he nipped the point with his teeth, eliciting a groan from Bella. He worked on one breast for a while, before moving on to the other with a whole range of new ideas that he tried out on Bella, who was loving every minute of it. His hands moved slowly over her skin, treating her to feather-light touches that left her skin tingling.

Then he slipped a hand quickly between her thighs, and Bella nearly bit through her tongue trying no to cry out. His touch was confident, and the stimulation sent Bella into a whole different dimension. Small mewing noise escaped her lips, and occasionally the odd whimper as Jacob continued to touch her, while his mouth worked sensuously on her breasts. Her breath came short, and her chest hitched a little as his hand sent pleasure rolling along her legs and prickling down her toes. Soon, she knew she was too close to the edge to hold back, and she came, toes curling, back arching slightly off the bed, hands fisting the sheet. A breathy moan slipped out of her mouth, and she collapsed on to the bed, the sensations blinding her, numbing her brain. She felt completely sated, gloriously satisfied, and hugely peaceful.

Jacob moved up the bed to lie beside her, and when she felt able to, she turned to face him, seeing his smile in the early morning light.

'You always look so beautiful when you come', he whispered softly. Bella looked down, unable to meet his eyes. 'You're so free, as if you're somewhere else entirely.' She blushed a little, toying with the idea of telling him that she _was_ somewhere else. The first time she'd climaxed she'd been mortified when she'd collected enough sane thoughts together to realise what had happened. Jacob had chuckled softly –he wasn't the slightest bit embarrassed about his orgasms- and told her she was lovely, and he hoped she'd do it more often. From then on, she did, not holding back where she had previously. She still felt a little awkward sometimes though.

But she loved cuddling with Jacob afterwards, and so she pushed any uncomfortable thoughts out of her mind and focused on the feeling of Jacob's strong arms, and his pleasant scent. And the feeling of his erection digging into her thigh.

'Shall I help you with this?', she asked cheekily, sliding her hand over it, smiling as she saw his eyes close and his teeth sinking into his lower lip. He nodded, before saying in a hoarse whisper:

'Please.' There was a hint of desperation in his voice, and Bella wasted no time in straddling his thighs and gently easing off his boxers.

'Ah-h-h!', he breathed as the cold air his exposed flesh. Then a soft 'Oh…' as Bella took him into her mouth and began to suck. She took him in as far as she could, fighting her gag reflex and using her hand to give him a little extra stimulation. Then she moved up and down slowly, paying careful attention to the head, where she could taste the tangy pre-come. She picked up speed. Then she looked up at Jacob to see him writhing in silence beneath her, his hands balling into fists and grabbing at the sheets, his teeth sunk deep into his bottom lip. His back began to arch upwards, and she knew he was close. She began long, sensuous strokes with her tongue, twirling around the flesh in her mouth like it was a melting ice cream, speeding up the movements of her hand. She smile inwardly as she saw Jacob give in to his body, spine curved so far back she was worried it would snap, hands clenched in his hair. She carefully swallowed the salty, slightly bitter liquid spurting into her mouth, and when she was sure he was done, she sat up, moving up the bed to lie at his side, watching him pant and try to regain control of his senses. Bella almost giggled when she remembered how she'd gagged the first time Jacob came in her mouth, almost spitting it out. She didn't, as explaining away the stain on the sheets to Charlie would have been difficult, if not impossible. But she had been very surprised, to say the least. Now, she was used to it, and knew how to tell when Jacob was about to come, so it wasn't weird any more.

* * *

**LEMON ends**

After a little while, Jacob turned to her, taking her in his arms and kissing her forehead tenderly.

'Bella that was…', he said raggedly, seeming unable to think of the word.

'Amazing?', said Bella, offering him a word that seemed appropriate. He chuckled a little, grinning.

'Yeah, it really was.'

'For me too', she said softly, snuggling up to his broad chest. He kissed her forehead again, resting his chin on her hair. They lay there in comfortable silence for a while, and Bella, who was worn out, soon fell asleep.

* * *

She woke up much later, her clock saying half ten, her bed empty. She took the note off her pillow, scanning it quickly.

_Bella, _it read. _Something's come up, and I have to go out with the pack. I love you, and I'll be back as soon as possible. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. __Try__ to keep out of mischief ok?_

_Always, Jacob x_

She sighed in disappointment, resigning herself to the fact she would next see Jacob whenever he happened to find her. _ I wonder if he'll be away so much when we're married?_, she thought absently as she brushed her hair. Then stopped, and looked at herself in the mirror, her expression of shock reflected perfectly. And like a lightning bolt from the blue, she **knew. ** _Bloody typically_, she thought crossly, going back to brushing her hair. _Just as soon as I realise something hugely important and I need to talk to him, he's not here! Still, at least this gives me time to plan things out. Something tells me he's going to need a bit of convincing…_ Then she finished her hair, stared at her reflection for a long moment, sat down at her desk, and began to write…

* * *

**A/N:** Sooooo? I only really read boy/boy fiction, so I'm a little worried about the Bella bit sounding weird. I'm worried about the whole thing, actually. Comments, nasty or nice (so long as they're constructive, and not just, 'you're crap') are appreciated. Chap VII won't be posted until tomorrow as it's turning into a monster. x IYH


	8. Chapter VII Eclipse

**A/N:** So here it is. I was going to be nice and let Bella and Jacob get it on, but then the angst angels paid me a visit and convinced me that trauma would rock. So being a pushover, I said yes, why not. And this is the result.

To my lovely reviewers, both **the usual crowd** (you know who you are), and newbies **Mithras151 and broken.hearted.dark.angel**, you're awesome.

Also, to my newest subscribers to WWHB **Mithras151 **and** broken.hearted.dark.angel**. You **ROX**!

This chapter is dedicated to my superawesome brother, who gave me an iPod for Christmas. Without my little metal box of joy, I would be a sadder, less inspired person. /love you bro!/

The chapter name is not a reference to the actual book, it just suited the chapter, as it is a reference to Stephenie Meyer's "personal little sun" comment. (Which I shamelessly filched last chapter.)

Chap VIII will be posted some time tomorrow morning. :)

* * *

**Chapter VII- Eclipse:**

Bella was fine for the first few days of Jacob's absence, busying herself with getting ready for college and planning how to convince him that she wanted to spend the life by his side. But by Wednesday of the next week, she began to worry. By Saturday, she was going crazy. So when Sam turned up on her doorstep on Monday, a week and a half before she was due to leave for college, she was a bundle of nerves.

'Hi Sam', she said, looking around for Jacob. 'Where's Jacob?' Sam didn't say anything for a minute, his gaze fixed on the floor. Bella's stomach dropped to somewhere near the centre of the earth, and her heart skipped a beat. 'Sam?', she said, a desperate tone in her voice. 'Where's Jake? Tell me where he is. Tell me **now**.' Her voice cracked, and she started to shake. _Oh God, please let him be ok, please let him be ok. Let him be ok, please, someone, anyone, PLEASE, please, please, he can't be dead, I'd know if he was dead, please, pleasepleasepleaseplease…God don't let him be dead, I haven't told him that I want to be with him, he needs to know how I feel…I have to tell him, he can't be dead, I love him so much, I want to spend my life with him, get married, have his kids, grow old with him, die with him… Please, somebody, you can't let him die…I have to tell him…he HAS to know…I love him…I want him…I need him…pleasepleasepleaseplease…PLEASE…JACOB…_ Her brain went into melt down, her thoughts awry, her whole being hoping, **praying**, aching, for him to be alive. He was Jacob. He couldn't die. He was practically immortal for God's sake! She felt her eyes prickling, just as Sam spoke.

'He's alive Bella. But barely. You need to come to with me to La Push. We're not sure he's going to make it.' Bella sagged against the doorframe, torn between relief that Jacob was alive, and terror that he might not be for much longer. 'Bella, come **on**', Sam said impatiently. 'We don't have time to hang around. I'll send someone over to pack a bag for you later.' Bella nodded blankly, shutting the front door, stumbling off the porch and along the path to her bike, her body on autopilot, her mind reeling.

'I'll drive', Sam said. 'You'll just crash in this state.' She nodded again, handing him the keys, and climbing numbly on to the back of the bike, her arms around Sam, who's body felt so different to Jacob's. He had a spot of blood on the back of his shirt, and she wondered absently if it was Jake's. Then she shut her eyes, and tried to keep a grip on her sanity.

* * *

The journey to La Push passed her by, so completely was she wrapped in terror. She only realised they had arrived when she felt her arms being pried from around Sam's waist. She opened her eyes to see that they were parked outside Billy Black's house. She got off the bike and stumbled. Strong arms that she wished were Jake's scooped her up like a child, and carried her into the house. They went up the stairs, and into Jacob's room, where she was set down gently.

'I'll give some time alone.' Sam's voice startled her out of her zombie-like state. She turned to him, her face filled with terror.

'Thank you', she managed. He nodded tersely, and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Taking a few shaky breaths, she tried to calm herself. Then she turned to the bed, and her heart nearly stopped, before beating at treble its normal speed.

Jacob lay on the bed, swathed in bandages, and clearly unconscious. His face was a mass of bruises and cuts, his lip split, his nose obviously having been broken and then reset, and his left eye a huge swollen bruise. Worst of all, half his scalp was shaved, the skin strangely pale, the long gash a stark burgundy line held together with stitches.

In horrified fascination, Bella stepped closer to the bed, and pulled back the sheet covering her boyfriend, taking care not to touch him. She hissed through her teeth as she saw the damage to his body. He was coated in bandages, his right leg coated in plaster. Any exposed skin was a heavy shade of puce or black, and covered with lacerations. Drawing up a chair, she sat beside him, and resting her elbows on her knees, she placed her head in her hands and began to cry, huge sobs wracking her body. He looked so vulnerable there, like someone had ripped out the very core of what made Jacob himself. She didn't even know she had company until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, and turned to see Carlisle Cullen, his face grave.

'He's lucky to be alive, considering what he went through', he said. 'I'm still not sure he'll make it, given the beating he's taken. The best I can do is put him on a drip, check up on him, and hope his werewolf powers of healing can pull him through.' Bella looked at him in horror. If Carlisle Cullen could do nothing, what chance did Jacob have?

'What happened to him?', she asked, a sick feeling growing in her stomach. Carlisle sighed, looking even more serious than before.

'The werewolves picked up the scent of a vampire on the reservation this morning. They recognised the smell as Edward's, and sent Jacob to see what he was doing. Jacob found Edward, and from what I can gather, Edward said something about you. Jacob made some angry remark and left, but Edward caught him up, and cornered him in a clearing at the top of some cliff. He began to fight him, and although Jacob is very strong, it would appear that Edward's anger gave him the upper hand. He gained ground, and weakened Jacob severely. Then he drove him to the edge of the cliff…and pushed him off. The fall was around 50 feet, and there was sand at the bottom, but the impact would have killed a human being. At this point, the pack turned up and drove Edwards off the reservation, before bringing Jacob back here and calling me. I would have helped anyone in this situation, but I felt particularly obliged to be of service, seeing as it was my son that has left Jacob in this condition.' The nausea in Bella's stomach grew, and she leant forward and threw up into the bucket Carlisle had produced out of thin air. She heaved up the contents of her stomach, wretching up bile when she had nothing else, the acid burning her throat. At last, she said:

'What is 'this condition' exactly?', her voice cracking as she struggled to get the words out.

Carlisle picked up a clipboard from Jacob's desk and scanned, before looking up at her and frowning.

'Are sure you want to know?', he asked. 'It's not at all pleasant.' Bella nodded, determined despite the sickness in her belly.

'I have to know', she whispered. Carlisle nodded briefly, and began to read off an itinerary.

'**Bones broken:** Left foot: 3 broken toes and a fractured ankle; right foot: 2 broken toes; left leg: a fractured tibia; right leg: a compound facture of the fibula; a fractured coccyx; 8 broken ribs: 5 on the right, 3 on the left; left hand: 2 broken fingers; right hand: 3 broken fingers; left arm: a broken ulna; right arm: a fractured wrist; a broken collarbone; a broken nose and a hairline fracture to the skull.'

'**Dislocations:** left hip; left hand: 1 finger; right hand: 2 fingers; left shoulder, 9th, 6th, 5th and 3rd vertebrae.'

'**Lacerations:** left leg: 5 deep cuts requiring stitches on the calf; right leg: ten cuts requiring stitches on the thigh; 3 severe cuts to the abdomen requiring stitches; 5 cuts to the left cheek requiring stitches, and 1 cut to the scalp, also requiring stitches. Also minor lacerations to around 85 of the skin.'

'**Bruising:** Left thigh; right leg: femur; pelvis and genitalia (otherwise unharmed);' At this point Bella let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding, earning her an odd look from Carlisle before he continued. 'Kidneys; liver; severely bruised pancreas and gall bladder; intestines; trachea; voice box; cranium and sub-cranium. Also non threatening bruising to around 90 of the skin and a black eye (left).'

'**Other:** Left leg: torn hamstring; right leg: a sprained ankle; torn metatarsals and ligaments; ruptured spleen; punctured right lung; left arm: sprained elbow; right arm: sprained wrist; a split lip; a split eyebrow and right ear partially separated from head, requiring stitches. Heart: undamaged, although probably traumatised.' He finally finished the list, leaving Bella feeling sick and hollow, all the blood draining from her face as she realised just how much damage Edward had done. The room whirled in front of her, then she knew only blackness.

* * *

She woke up to find herself lying beside Jacob, who was still unconscious. She sat up, the room swaying, and her stomach heaved. She found a bucket pushed into her lap, and she threw up again, even thought there was nothing left in her stomach. When she finished wretching, she turned to see Sam standing beside her, his face grim. And without meaning to, she began to cry. Not the loud sobs of earlier, just tears streaming silently down her face. In an instant, Sam sat beside her, embracing her so that she was wrapped in him. She couldn't help noticing how different he smelled to Jake, and the tears grew. She cried out all her fear and anger and pain, and prayed to whatever god would listen. Eventually she stopped, and then she felt bone-achingly weary, so Sam laid her down and left the room, allowing her to sleep.

* * *

The next few days blurred into one another, Bella never leaving Jacob's side except to use the bathroom. She ate and slept in Jacob's room, constantly at his side in an unending vigil, hoping and praying that he would wake up. His wounds healed slowly, more slowly than usual, but Carlisle seemed less worried about the werewolf when he came to check up on him. He told Bella that Jacob would be fine given time, although it would take him a little while to work his body back to how it had been. Bella had listened to him silence, before seizing him and hugging him for a long minute. Surprised, he had hugged her back lightly, and murmured his condolences with sincerity. Then he had left Bella alone, and she lay on the bed, watching Jacob's face as he lay unconscious. She was exhausted, but couldn't sleep, dozing off every now and again when she was unable to hold her eyes open any longer. The adrenaline kept her going, but she felt half dead, and only talked to people when she had to.

By what she was told was Thursday (although it felt infinitely longer), she was running on fumes, and at some time in the late afternoon when she was lying on Jacob's bed, her eyelids drooped off and she fell asleep. She jerked awake a little while later, feeling guilty for having slept, but also desperately tired. Turning to face Jacob, she watched him as he lay there, looking like he was peacefully asleep.

Then, to her utter amazement, his eyes fluttered open to meet hers. _I'm dreaming_, she thought. _I must be. It's a figment of my over tired imagination. I'm going to wake up and find he's died._ Then Jacob groaned.

'Ahhh!' His voice was pain laden, and Bella knew she wasn't dreaming. She sat up, watching as Jacob followed her with his eyes.

'Thank you God!', she said, her voice breaking as she began to cry tears of joy. 'Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!' Jacob smiled slowly, wincing in pain as he spoke.

'So you missed me then?'. Bella sobbed happily, nodding as she smiled through her tears.

'If you **EVER** scare me like that again Jacob Black, I'll kill you myself', she choked out, a big, goofy smile painting itself over her face. The words tumbled out her mouth, an outpour of all the emotion she'd been holding back for so long. 'I was scared Jake, so, so scared. I thought you were going to die, and that hurt **so **much. I need you Jake, you're my reason for living. I love you so much it hurts, and I can't live without you.' She stopped to dry her tears. 'Jake, I want to be with you, now and for always. You're the air that I breath, and a world without you is like living without the sun. I want to live with you for the rest of my days, and never be away from you. I meant to tell you before, but as usual, being the idiot that you are, you had to go and nearly get yourself killed.' She started to laugh, and found she couldn't stop, the expression of amazement on Jacob's face somehow incredibly funny.

'Bella, you're hysterical, you don't mean it', he managed to croak out. She shook her head, her laughter quickly stopping.

'I meant every word Jake, every word. Life without you is too painful for words, and I don't intend to go through the rest of my life feeling like I have done these past few days. I love you Jake, for real, forever. I want to 'consummate' the imprintation and be bonded to you for life. I want us to get married and have children, and grow old together, watching our grandchildren playing while we sit on the porch and tell old stories. I want to spend my days with you until I die. You're the light to my dark, the other half of me; my soulmate. You complete me like no one else, and I'm not about to give this up. I love you, and I always will. You, Jake. Jacob Black, Quileute, werewolf. You and no one else, as long as I live. I swear it, as long as I live.' The words rushed out of her in a river, the torrent sweeping her away as she spilled out the things she'd meant to keep hidden. But she didn't care. Jacob was alive, and awake. She was going to tell him how she felt, and hang the consequences. She wasn't going to take any chances now. She wanted it to be clear exactly where she stood, and she didn't care who knew. Jacob was watching her with an intense expression on his face, a burning, blazing look that made her melt inside.

'Do you mean that?', he questioned. She nodded. 'Really, really? As in seriously? You're really sure this is what you want?'

'Really, really', she said softly. Jacob seemed to think for a moment.

'Bella, can you fetch me the wooden box on my desk?', he asked. She nodded and went to fetch it. 'Good', he said. 'Now sit down and shut your eyes.' Bella obeyed, wondering what was going on. She heard a rustle of sheets and a groan. Then:

'Open your eyes Bella.' She opened her eyes to see Jacob on one knee in front of her. A blush crept up her cheeks, as she met his eyes, seeing the love shining in them, and knowing she must look the same.

'Isabella Marie Swan, I've loved you for the longest time. Will you marry me?' The words were simply, often said. But that didn't stop the magic feeling that they sent across her skin as she dumbly nodded her acceptance and watched the love of her life slid a simple ring with a solitaire diamond set into it on to the fourth finger of her left hand. Then the reality sunk in and she was laughing, crying, smiling. Jacob stood up a little gingerly then stretched and seemed to regain his strength. He picked her up and swung her round in a circle before hugging her close to him and kissing her passionately on the lips.

'I am the luckiest werewolf ever!', he exclaimed. 'This is the happiest, best moment of my life!' Bella laughed with him, the moment seeming to shine, like a ray of sunlight had reached down from heaven to touch them.

Finally, they went back to the bed, and Bella lay in Jacob's arms, happier than she thought was humanly possible.

'I love you', she said. 'For always. Forever.' He kissed her gently before replying, repeating her words, sounding so right she wondered how she had ever worried she might want this.

'For always. Forever. Love you Bella.' Then, just as she was drifting off to sleep, she heard a softly murmured:

'Bella Black has a certain ring to it…'

* * *

**A/N:**But what was Jacob doing before he ran into Edward? (I don't know yet, but trust me, it'll be big.) Anyways, it's all hearts and flowers now, but what's coming next?? Please R&R!


	9. Chapter VIII I do solemnly swear

**A/N:** Well, I was going to be mean and write a long chapter with no sex in it, but then I felt guilty, so I decided to write you all a nice lemon instead.

Thank you to **watermelon-smiles**, and **Mithras151 **for being lovely and writing me reviews. Also to **LaurCullen** for subscribing to WWHB. Milk and cookies for you three.

Anyway, read, enjoy, review (or I'll stop writing. Seriously.) Listen to 'I Still Do', by The Cranberries, which I had on repeat while I wrote this. Somehow, it just fit the mood. Or it did for me. :) Love you all! Big wave to my British readers! Uk **ROX!**

Dedicated to my reviewers, past, present, and future. You are why I keep writing.

* * *

**Chapter VIII- I do solemnly swear:**

Bella spent the next few days making sure she was totally ready for college, and checking in on Jacob, who had begun to make a swift recovery after he had regained consciousness. Their engagement remained a secret, a precious covenant between them. Bella wore the ring on a chain around her neck, its value even greater now she knew it had belonged to Jacob's mother. When she was away from Jacob, she often looked at it, a reminder of the happiness that awaited her, a taster of the joy yet to come.

* * *

On Thursday, September 12th, Bella walked out of Charlie's front door, not to return for another month and a half. They drove to her new college, which was in Seattle, and settled her in. Charlie left her that evening, and as soon as he was gone, Bella began to miss Forks. She felt so stupid, but not being able to hop on her bike and drive to see Jake whenever she wanted was going to be a real blow. Luckily, her roommate -a tall redhead named Angelina- seemed to be nice, and they soon got to talking. It seemed Angelina –or 'Angel', as she asked to be called- was missing home too. She also had a boyfriend, and they'd been going out with each other for over a year. Angel talked enthusiastically about Kyle, before asking Bella about Jacob. She gave Angel a carefully edited version of their history, and how they ended up together. On a whim, Bella showed her new roomie the engagement ring, enjoying her gasp of delight, and her congratulations. She thought happily of Jacob, and smiled, feeling relaxed enough to answer more of Angel's questions and swearing her to secrecy before finally heading off to bed.

* * *

The next few weeks flew by, and before she knew it, Bella was driving back to Forks for her mid-term weekend holiday. She drove back on the morning of Halloween, and spent the evening down at La Push with Jake, the pack, and their friends. She'd forgotten how much she missed everyone, and was thrilled to be back with them, bobbing for apples, toasting marshmallows on the campfire, and telling ghost stories, like the one Jacob had told her that first time on the reservation. They shared an evening of merriment and laughter, before she went back to the Black's house, and shared Jacob's bed. They fooled around a bit, but mostly they just talked, enjoying being back together again after their long separation. She then proceeded to divide her weekend between spending time with Jacob, and spending time with Charlie, before driving back to Seattle on the Sunday evening. Before she went, she dropped into see Jacob and say goodbye. Of course, it took longer than she expected , and she had to tear herself and drive back twice as fast as she would have liked, but it was worth it to see Jacob once more, and to leave him a little something to look forward to.

* * *

Back at college, Bella spent the next seven weeks working hard, studying carefully, hanging out with her friends and going to parties, which were just as wild as in the movies. By the 18th of December, she was exhausted, and after a crazy party, she dragged herself back to her room, with a drunken Angel stumbling along beside her, giggling stupidly. Bella had discovered he friend was quite the party animal, who had a penchance for drinking large quantities of alcohol. She sighed as she unlocked the door to their room, reflecting on how her new group of college friends had changed her. She'd been brought out of her shell, finding that just as Edward had once said, people found her fascinating.

She loved her new self-confidence, and was glad of it when she thought about going home to Forks. To Jacob. She was sitting on her bed pondering the surprise she'd left him when she left in October, a subject she refused to discuss with him, when a large group of semi-drunk people crashed into the room. Nine in all, the people she counted among her closest friends at college. There was tall, lanky Tanya, petite Amy, quirky Jim, Peyton the cheerleader/emo chick, Mickey the Irish funny man, gorgeous Carlie, crazy Suzy, studious Thom and the handsome author -in -waiting Lucas (not that he held a candle to Jake). They were waving various bottles of liquor, being raucous, and just generally acting in a very light-hearted manner. With an inaudible sigh, Bella banished any thoughts of a decent night's sleep and sat on the floor with everyone else, taking a sip from the bottle of rum Amy offered her. Before long, she was cheerfully inebriated, and was laughing merrily with everyone as Lucas haltingly confessed his feelings for Peyton, blushing furiously as he did so. Then she lead a cheer as Peyton leant forward, grabbed Lucas by his shirt and proceeded to snog his face off. Finally, at what appeared to be around 3.30 am (which Bella was sure couldn't be right. She'd only brought Angel home at midnight, and the others hadn't been here **that** long. Then again, the numbers were slightly wavy, and she was pretty sure she was drunk, so who knows?), everyone left, trouping off to their rooms, empty bottles in hand, calling Christmas greetings and wishes to all and sundry, and being told to bugger off by all the people who'd been asleep. Gratefully, Bella collapsed on to her bed, unable to summon up the will to get undressed before she crawled under the covers and went to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, her alarm went off at nine, to her complete and utter horror. Angel mumbled something incoherent that sounded a bit like:

'Turn that sodding thing OFF!' as Bella scrambled around, clutching her head and looking for the alarm clock which was beeping irritatingly, the noise going straight to the epicentre of her headache. She found it at last, switched it off, grabbed a change of clothes as well as a towel, and stumbled out of the room to the communal bathroom, where she had a shower and brushed her teeth, stopping her mouth from feeling so much like something had crawled into it and died. Then she wandered back to her room and slowly began to pack, sipping frequently from the bottle of Lucozade she found in her chest of drawers. She gathered up all the clothes that needed washing and shoved them into a suitcase, repeating the process with any clothes she might want over the Christmas break, trying to ignore her massive hangover and throbbing headache. By 11am, she was ready to leave, and after saying goodbye to Angel and promising to email and call regularly, she walked to her truck, dumped her bags in it, and drove home.

* * *

She got home to find Jacob waiting for her with Charlie, and she embraced them both eagerly, before Jacob picked up her bags as if they weighed nothing, and took them up to her room. Once there, he dropped the bags on the floor, slammed the door shut, and pinned Bella to it, kissing her passionately. He broke away some minutes later, saying:

'Did you mean to drive me crazy with that note? I nearly wanked myself raw over it.' Bella looked up at him for a moment, then replied:

'Are you ok now?' a glint in her eyes, remembering the note she'd left on Jacob's bed at the end of her mid-term break. It read:

_I, Isabella Marie Swan, do solemnly swear to love you, Jacob Black, for the rest of my days on this Earth. As a sign of my devotion to this promise, I will willingly consummate our bond of imprintation on the evening of Thursday the 24__th__ of December, in your bed, should you wish it. With my heart, and all my love,_

_For always, Bella x_

Jacob seized her with a growl and kissed her thoroughly before answering.

'I'm bloody amazing. But seriously Bella, that was cruel. Did you mean what you wrote?' He looked at her questioningly, and she nodded.

'Every word. Are you ok with that?' Jacob spluttered, his face taking on a ruddy hue.

'Am I ok with that? Of course I am, you silly girl! You say you want to be with me forever, for all eternity, and you think I'd have a problem with that? Sometimes I don't understand you, Isabella Swan. Still, I guess that's ok, cause I have the rest of our lives to figure you out.' He grinned at her, and Bella smiled back instinctively, overjoyed to be at home again.

'True. And are we planning to tell Charlie any time soon? Cause I feel kind guilty keeping him in the dark.' Jacob nodded.

'I thought we could tell him and Billy on Christmas, it being a time of good cheer and all that stuff', he said with a smile.

'I'd like that', said Bella softly, looking up at her boyfriend –and soon to be fiancé- with love in her eyes. Then he picked her up and threw her on to the bed before proceeding to remind her just what she'd been missing. And continued to do so regularly over the few days.

* * *

On Christmas Eve, Bella went to La Push with a small overnight bag, and after a nice supper with Billy and Jake, disappeared upstairs with her boyfriend, not to reappear until the next morning.

**LEMON begins**

* * *

As soon as they were alone, Jacob pushed her gently against the wall and kissed her until she was breathless, before pulling off her jumper. Then he began sucking on her neck, drawing little moans from her as he licked and bit her soft, white skin. Bella almost worried about the marks, but then she thought _Who cares? I can just wear a roll neck_ and went back to concentrating on Jacob's delightful actions. Her hands wandered under his tight fitting t-shirt, enjoying the feeling of his toned body under her hands, breathy gasps escaping her lips as Jacob continued to ravish her neck.

Then, in one swift movement, he picked her up and carried her to his double bed, laying her down gently before kissing her, and whispering softly:

'I want this to be something you remember your whole life.' The he left her on the bed and walked slowly around the room -which Bella now noticed was spotlessly clean- lighting the candles he'd placed earlier in the day. When he was done, the room lit by a warm, tender light, he returned to Bella and began to kiss her again, groaning gently when she started to make the kiss deeper and more passionate. Her hands buried themselves in his hair, while his slowly unbuttoned her blouse, each button painfully slowly undone. He drew it off her in one fluid movement, exposing the black lacy bra the covered her breasts and contrasted beautifully with her pale skin. Pulling back for a moment, he raised his arms over his head, letting Bella pull off his t-shirt, revelling in the cool air against the hot skin of his muscled torso. They kissed again, going slow and sensual as Bella's hands worked to unbutton Jacob's jeans. She undid them and pulled them down before he kicked them off, and then he returned the favour for her.

Free of everything but their underwear, they moved against each other, enjoying the feeling of skin on skin, Bella becoming wet between the thighs, and Jacob sporting an erection. They lay on the bed in a tangle of limbs as their hands wandered over each other, happily exploring the familiar territory.

At a leisurely pace, Jacob began to stroke Bella's beasts through the lace of her bra, feeling her nipples harden and loving that she was moaning into his mouth. He teased her for a while, then finally removed her bra, exposing her breasts and taking her left nipple into his mouth, nipping it softly, hearing her gasp in ecstasy and arch upwards. He licked the tender skin, treating it carefully, taking his time so that soon, Bella was begging him to leave that breast and tend to the other. He acknowledged her request, and moved on to the right breast, covering it with feathery kisses before turning his attention to the nipple.

'Oh Jake…', Bella breathed, shivering with desire as Jacob continued his work. Then he began to trail kisses down her stomach, removing her briefs, parting her legs with his warm hands, and moving down to kiss her clitoris, flicking his tongue out and making her catch her breath.

'Oh god!', Bella moaned, her hands buried in the sheets as his tongue flickered out again and again, causing her body to writhe at the delicious sensations he was creating in her, the torturous pace driving her wild. Her fingers clenched into fists as the pleasure grew, and she could not keep silent, a steady stream of moans, gasps and sighs escaping her lips as Jacob continued to inflict his sweet torment on her. Soon, she found herself dangerously near to the edge, and she managed to gasp out:

'Jake, please…I'm too close... you need to stop…' He looked up at her, the lust in his eyes balanced with love, and nodded, moving up the bed to kiss her deeply. Bella moaned, her tongue entwined with his, surprised by the fact she could taste herself, sweet and yet salty, the taste lingering on her lips. Her hands moved to Jacob's chest, gently tweaking the nipples, drawing a groan from him. She pulled herself away and sucked down his neck, pausing on the pulse point, the movement of her tongue making him rock hard. Feeling this, Bella reached down and pulled down his boxers, letting Jacob kick them off before she took his erection in her hand and began to move work the length of flesh firmly, causing her lover's eyes to glaze over, and his breathing to become short and ragged. He thrust eagerly into her hand, but she refused to speed up the pace, teasing him with her slow torture as he'd done to her. They kissed passionately, sensually, their tongues exploring each other's mouths and Bella's hand moved up and down Jacob's erection, occasionally rubbing her thumb across the head and feeling the sticky pre-come there. This continued until she felt his body begin to tense, at which point she stopped and pulled back from him, her lips swollen as she looked at him, and whispered:

'I'm ready.' He looked her in the eye and nodded gently, before sliding away from her to sit on the side of the bed, getting a condom from the top draw of the small bureau at his bedside. A minute later, he turned back to her, the heat from his body delightfully warm as he lay down on top of her, supporting his weight on his arms.

'Are you sure?', he asked softly. She smiled up at him, thanking God for giving her a man – a werewolf- like Jake.

'More sure than should be humanly possible', she whispered, kissing him lingeringly. They broke apart, and he smiled at her, the love in his eyes reflected in her own. Then he sealed her mouth again, his lips moving against hers as she felt him enter her slowly. She tried hard not to wince at the pain, but he noticed, and stopped, looking at her in concern.

'No, don't stop', she breathed. 'Please Jake. I want to feel you…inside me…please…' She looked up at him pleadingly, and he nodded, beginning to move again, so gently, so carefully, tenderly kissing her face as her brow wrinkled at the pain. He moved a hand to stroke her softly, and distracted by the incredible feelings he was creating with his fingers, she noticed the pain less, almost forgetting it, not realising Jacob was buried in her to the hilt until he whispered, his hand still moving between her thighs:

'Can I?' She knew what he was asking, and unable to speak coherently, she smiled her answer up at him, giving a small nod. He kissed her deeply, putting all his love for her into the kiss as he began to draw out and thrust in, starting off slowly, but speeding up as he heard her breathing start to hitch, his control going to the four winds at the feeling of being buried in her, _god_, she was so hot and tight inside, his instincts taking over as he drove into her, giving him the fiction that he wanted, he needed, he **craved**, breathy moans escaping her lips as he pushed in, drew out and pushed in again.

Bella turned her attention to Jacob's neck as he moved within her, his fingers stimulating her outwardly. It felt good, and she moaned into his skin as she bit and licked at the sensitive area. Then he hit a _spot_, and she gasped, her world shimmering as she went into a new realm of pleasure.

'Oh-h-h-h!', she gasped slowly, as he realised what he'd done, and hit the spot again, and again, and again, and again… The sensation washed over her, bathing her in a feeling like no other. It grew and grew as Jacob's thrusts got faster, and she knew she was close, his groans and ragged breathing telling her that he was too. The feeling took on an intensity she hadn't thought possible, and then she was too far gone to hold back, and she was falling, falling, falling, from a height so high she felt she must be somewhere hear the moon. Her back arched, forcing her upwards against Jacob's chest, moaning loudly, her toes curling, her muscles clenching and unclenching as her orgasm tore through her body, ebbing and flowing like the tide. Jacob thrust few more times, shuddering as Bella's tight muscles squeezed him, hard. He groaned his release, his hands balling into fists as he rode out the wave of pleasure sweeping over him. They lay together, whimpering softly as they came back down to Earth in an embrace of hot bodies and tangled limbs, sated and exhausted.

* * *

**LEMON ends**

Eventually, a decidedly boneless Jacob pulled out of Bella and flopped down beside her on the bed, pulling the covers over them as they cooled off, and cuddling her to his chest. She kissed him sweetly, before whispering:

'Thank you.' He smiled, looked at the clock, and kissed her back, saying sleepily:

'I love you Bella. Happy Christmas', overjoyed that he was with his mate, and had the rest of his life with her. His eyelids drooped as she kissed him again, chastely, on the lips, and murmured:

'Happy Christmas. I love you too Jake' Then he gave in to his weariness and fell asleep, Bella curling up contentedly beside him, and quickly following suit, on the morning of what had to be the best Christmas ever. And the moon shone through Jacob's window on to the peacefully sleeping lovers, capturing them perfectly, and gilding them in silver as they lay together, dreaming dreams of peace on earth and goodwill to all men, Jacob's mother's diamond ring sparkling on Bella's finger.

* * *

**A/N:** So? You like? Anyone like my One Tree Hill ref? (Peyton/Lucas is my OTP) What of the lemon? Twas good?

Anyway, now for some sad news. I'm away for the next week and a half, so I won't be updating for a while. I've been pretty good about getting stuff up every day (or twice a day in some cases), but now I can't. Sorry. I'm not thrilled either. But please review anyway, and I promise to reply when I get back. Also, keep reading, and don't abandon me! 127 people visited WWHB yesterday, a fact that sends me into squeeisms. Keep it up!

Love to everyone who reads this! I'll be back! :)

x

IYH


	10. Chapter IX Christmas

**A/N:** Ok honeys, I'm really sorry, but this is quite short. I had like six hundred other ideas buzzing around my brain, so WWHB got the short straw. +( I feel **bad.** Still, I promise Chapter X will be nice and long, so don't hate me. Pweeze?

Big up to all my **reviewers**:**Unlove You, watermelon-smiles, Mithras151, fizz3221, silverice90, obsessedwithjamespotter, reddelicious88, Christina2002, TwilightSarah1414, Super-girl-straight-from-hell, **and** not complaining.**

Also, much love to all the people who **subscribed** to WWHB:** tuffsgirl, Bethany-ambler, Dark fea, Im03, Isabella99, silverice90, obsessedwithjamespotter, writer jordan, Christina2002, emomo13, **and **Super-girl-straight-from-hell**.

Huge love to **obsessedwithjamespotter** and **MyBronzeHairedAngel** for adding me to their author alert. I love you!

This one's for everyone who I've mentioned in Chapters past or present.

* * *

**Chapter XI- Christmas:**

When Bella woke up, at around 8.30am, Jacob was already awake and dressed. He was sat at his desk, watching her with a tender look on his face.

'Hey there', he said gently, smiling. 'Happy Christmas. Again.'

'Hey', she mumbled sleepily. 'Happy Christmas again to you too.' She sat up, and rubbed her eyes. 'Why aren't you still in bed?', she asked. 'I was kinda hoping we could carry on from earlier.' Jacob grinned even wider.

'So was I, but then I remembered how early Dad likes to get up Christmas. And how he likes to come into my room and say hi.' Bella blushed scarlet at the thought of having their love-making interrupted by Billy.

'That was very sensible of you', she said. 'I'm gonna get dressed now, so would you chuck me my bag. I don't want to have to get out of bed. It's nice and warm.' Jacob picked up the bag with a chuckle, and carried it over to her, kissing her happily.

'You lazy thing', he said with a smile. 'But I still love you.'

'Love you too', said Bella. 'Now get off the bed so I can get dressed.' Jacob chuckled again and went out of the room. She heard his footsteps on the stairs, then got out of bed and began to dress, She had actually meant to get dressed in bed, but it was too tricky.

It wasn't that cold, but she didn't linger over dressing. She pulled on the red tights she'd bought in Florida with Renée, hitching them up to the right place. Then she slipped on a petticoat and her mulberry red cowl necked pullover that matched the tights. On top of this, she slid into a holly green silk dress she'd picked up in Port Angeles. It was knee length, with a wide neckline and no sleeves. She'd seen it and loved it, trying it on hastily and buying it as soon as possible. It fitted liked a dream, and she felt like a princess.

She put on some pumps she'd found in a similar green with bows on the toes, before turning her attention to her face and hair. She slicked on a little mascara, some pinky- red lipstick and a little foundation. Then she brushed her hair until it shone, her gloss bob looking incredibly chic.

Satisfied with her appearance, she tripped down the stairs merrily, humming Christmas carols under her breath. She skipped into the lounge, and found Jacob, Billy and -

'Charlie? I mean, Dad?' She looked at him in shock. 'What are you doing here? You're not meant to be here for another 2 and a bit hours!' Charlie smiled.

'I came over to see you all. I was lonely at home.' Then he stood up, smiling even wider. 'And I believe congratulations are in order.' He came over and hugged her tightly, whispering in her ear:

'My little girl's all grown up now. I couldn't be more proud.' Bella looked over his shoulder to Jacob, whose grin was enormous.

'You told them?', she said indignantly. He nodded.

'It seemed like an opportunity too good to miss. And I thought it would save you from blushing so much.' Charlie let her go, roaring with laughter.

'He's got the measure of you Bels!', he said, through his chuckles. Jacob smiled at her, and she went over and hugged him. Then she turned to Billy, who was also smiling.

'C'mere', he said jovially. She obliged, and found herself in a bear hug. 'My Jacob has done himself proud I see. Welcome to the family Bella.' Bella nodded, her eyes prickling with tears at her father-in-law to be's kind words. She was family now.

* * *

The two families spent the day together, enjoying a Christmas lunch with lots of champagne, silly jokes and good food. Billy cooked a mean turkey, and Bella did very well with the vegetables, although she delegated the boring chores like cutting and peeling to Jacob.

After lunch, they gathered around the Christmas tree and opened presents. Bella gasped in delight when she opened the silver bracelet from Jacob. It was a thick silver wire, bent into a complex love knot. On the back of the not, it said: _To Bella, with all my love, for Christmas and beyond, Jacob_. She put it on happily, kissing Jacob tenderly in lieu of thanks.

The exchange of gifts went on until about 5pm, at which point the La Push pack and friends all tumbled through the door, full of beans an Christmas cheer. Charlie and Billy sat in the lounge swapping stories as everyone else went down to the beach for a bonfire.

The day was crisp and frosty, with a bright mid-winter sun shining down on the merry group as the walked down to the beach, telling jokes, sharing stories, and talking about Christmas presents. Jacob told everyone about his and Bella's engagement, and everyone went wild, showering congratulations on the happy couple, all the girls hugging and kissing and crying.

'Welcome to the family!', said Emily joyfully, and a huge cheer went up.

* * *

Finally, they got down to the beach, and everyone went to collect firewood. Bella and Jacob sneaked off for a quick make out session, coming back flushed and tousled to whoops and taunts.

Champagne and other booze appeared from nowhere, as did marshmallows and skewers. They all sat on the sand, getting pleasantly drunk and toasting their marshmallows. The atmosphere was magical, and it got even more special when the boys let off the fireworks they'd set up earlier. Bella cuddled up to Jacob to watch the display, and she could not think of a happier time in her life. The whole day seemed to have been touched with magic, and she never wanted it to end. But events conspired against her, and as the evening wore on, she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

She woke up in Jacob's room, lying fully dressed on the bed, Jacob watching her from the desk again. He smiled at her sexily, and she felt desire shooting through her. He walked over to the bed, lying down beside her and kissing her passionately. Willingly, she surrendered to him, the perfect ending to the perfect day.


	11. Chapter X Dog in the Manager

**A/N:** Well, here it is, at long last. I'm SO sorry that it took so long, but I deleted the Chapter X that I wrote before because it was CRAP. Then I couldn't work for a week, and I finally had a chance to sit down and write this. No happy endings in this chappie. OOOOH no. Warning: ANGST! But dw, no character death, I promise.

Updates may be less frequent now due to inernet limitations from my parents. Living at home kida sucks sometimes. Ah well, not long and then I'm free!

**ANYWAYS...**

**Reviwers**:** Jakes Angel, Alexis St. Claire, Mithras151, watermelon-smiles, theRASTAproject, fizz3221, NejiUchiha, OECD, **and** sweet-strawberry692010**

**Subscribers**: **EdwardBella4ever, Singingalone, i.am.switzerland.ok, Jakes Angel, hpfreakover, Alexis St. Claire, Star-Ree Nyte, theRASTAproject, susanjones, Warrioroftheseventhstar, NAWag1R, NejiUchiha, Bella-with-the-blue-eyes, OECD, charmed-ireland,**** sweet-strawberry692010, OperationDuctTape, **and** Rogue-Slayer13**

**Favoriters**:** starlight.apple.blossoms, himthatilove17, Jakes Angel, Alexis St. Claire, xxxIf-You-Feel-So-Emptyxxx, Star-Ree Nyte, theRASTAproject, Warrioroftheseventhstar, NejiUchiha, OECD, sweet-strawberry692010, OperationDuctTape, **and** pitcaptain**

I hope I mentioned everyone, and if I didn't I'm mega sorry. Things are hectic lately, so I may have missed you. :( Hugs!

Mega thanks to everyone who told me they didn't hate me! :) This is for you!

* * *

**Chapter X- Dog in the Manger:**

Time passed, as it does. Renée was told about the wedding, and although she had her doubts at first, once she flew down to Forks and met Jacob she was heartily in favour of the union. Plans were made, and everyone was included.

Meanwhile, Bella focussed hard on her studies, missing Jacob but throwing herself into her work and beginning her exam revision early. She was determined to do well at college; to prove that she had made the right choice.

* * *

So it happened that one rainy morning in March that while Bella was working hard in her room, a knock came at the door.

'Come in', she called eyes fixed on the screen of her laptop, focussed on the essay she was writing.

'Hey Bella,' a familiar voice said. Bella turned to look and saw Alice Cullen standing in her doorway, a wide smile on her face. She leapt up to embrace her friend, not noticing the slight tenseness around the petite vampire's shoulders, or the overly- large smile on her face.

'Ohmigod Alice! I'm so thrilled to see you!', Bella cried, hugging Alice tightly, happy to see her best friend after so long. 'What brings you here?' Alice hugged her back.

'I just wanted to see you! It's been so long, and I haven't had the chance to say congratulations yet', she said easily. Stepping back from Bella, she looked her up and down. 'Twirl for me', she ordered. Bella did as she was told giggling, slightly under the scrutiny.

'Am I up to the standard?'

'Most definitely', said Alice with an almost wistful smile. 'Anyway, come on, let's go for a coffee. That is, unless you're busy or something?' Bella looked at her half completed essay. _It can wait_, she decided.

'No, I'm free. Where d'you want to go? We have Starbucks, Costa, Café Nero and this great little patisserie called Joanna's.' Alice thought for a minute.

'The patisserie sounds good. My sweet tooth needs to be indulged.' She caught Bella's eye and they giggled. Even though vampires disliked eating generally, Alice was unusual in that she was a totally sucker for anything sugary.

'Ok, Joanna's it is', Bella declared. 'Hang on a sec though, I'd better write a note for Angel.' Alice looked at her strangely.

'Angel?' Bella laughed and explained.

'Angel's my roommate. It's short for Angelina, although 'Devil' would be more appropriate. She's a real hell- raiser, and she **loves** to party. She has got me into **so** much trouble sometimes.' Alice looked at her, the wistful smile appearing again.

'I really have missed you', she said gently. 'I wish I'd visited before and met all your friends. They sound like fun.' Then she paused. 'It's just, that what with the whole Edward thing, I wasn't… well I wasn't sure that you'd want me around.' Bella stopped writing the note and turned to look at her friend in shock.

'Alice, are you mad? You're not Edward, and I would never hold you responsible for his actions. You are always, **always ** welcome with me.' She smiled at her vampire friend, then finished the note. 'And on that train of thought, I have something for you.' She wandered over to her desk, and unlocked a drawer, fishing around in a stack of paper before she found what she was looking for. 'Ah ha! Here it is!', she declared triumphantly. 'Now you're not really meant to have this for a while, but since you're here… well, I thought I should give it to you.' She handed the envelope to Alice, who took it and opened it curiously. She pulled out the rectangle of card inside, eyes scanning it, lips moving slightly as she read. Bella smiled as she took in the look on her friend's face. She could hear Alice softly whispering

'You are cordially invited…' under her breath, over and over. She finally looked up at Bella, tears shining in her eyes, and threw her arms around Bella's neck, squeezing her so tightly that Bella was worried that her ribs might crack.

'Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!', she squealed. Then the vampire let go of her friend and frowned at her. 'But how are we going to be allowed on to the reservation?' Bella smiled.

'Well, it took a lot of work, but I managed to persuade Billy to get everyone to let you guys come on for the wedding. You're my friends, and you all mean the world to me. I really, really want you to be there. In fact, I'd like you to be my maid of honour.' Alice seemed speechless, her eyes speaking volumes for her. Bella laughed. 'I'm glad you're happy Alice. It means a lot to me. Oh, and before I forget, I have an invitation for Jasper and Rosalie here.' She fished out another invitation from her desk draw. Alice took it with a smile, and then put it into her handbag with the other card rectangle.

'I'll give it to them when I get back. Now what about this patisserie?' Bella grinned, and they linked arms and walked out of the door.

* * *

The two girls spent around an hour in the little patisserie, catching up on gossip and swapping stories. Finally, they left clutching hot coffees and giggling a lot.

'Hey Alice, what shall we do now?', Bella managed to say as they walked to the petite vampire's car. Alice seemed to think for a moment, then she appeared to make up her mind.

'Well, I think we should go back to your dorm and hang out there for a bit.' Bella nodded, then was struck by an idea.

'Actually, there's this really cool forest near here, and there's a really great waterfall that I think you'd like. It's really pretty and picturesque, and I thought you might want to take some photos.' Alice seemed a little reluctant, then smiled and nodded.

'That sounds awesome. I have my camera with me and everything.' They got into the car and drove off, Bella occasionally breaking the flow of conversation to give directions.

* * *

After about twenty minutes, they arrived at the forest. It looked a little foreboding in the grey light, but Bella threw off any feelings of unease that prickled down her neck, and strode off in the direction of the waterfall, Alice easily keeping pace with her.

'You know, I could just carry you there', Alice said impatiently after ten minutes or so. Bella gulped, and shook her head.

'No way. No freaking way', she said vehemently. 'I don't want to die of fright before we get there. That would really spoil my day.' Alice chuckled, her pretty eyes dancing with mischief.

'But aren't you scared of the big bad wolves?', she teased. Then she realised what she'd said, and it was Bella's turn to laugh.

'Believe me, once you've seen the big bad wolves I've seen, the ones around here look kinda cute.' Alice smiled, and they trudged onwards, bantering happily until five minutes later, they reached the waterfall.

It was just as beautiful as the last time Bella had seen it, and she was glad that Alice was awestruck too. The place was a little natural pool that was in a small clearing, trees on three sides, and tall grey stone on the other, a waterfall of about ten feet cascading down from the rocks into the pool below.

They gazed in silent wonder at the stunning spectacle, lush, green vegetation giving the area an untouched look of wild beauty. Slowly, as if unwilling to break the spell of the place, Alice withdrew her camera from its case, taking pictures with an almost reverent look on her face. Bella smiled, seeing how enraptured her friend was, and knowing the pictures would be gorgeous, as a always. Alice seemed to have a knack for capturing the essence of her subject, trapping it on paper for an eternal moment.

She sat on a rock to watch the vampire work, and she was happily daydreaming when suddenly, all the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. A familiar smell wafted to her nose. It was floral, and delicious.

'Edward…', she breathed, her heart thudding in her chest like the bassline of a dance track in a club. Alice's head whipped around from the waterfall, and she sniffed the air in a way that would have looked comical at any other time. A look of fear spread itself across her flawless features.

'Bella, get over here. Now!', she hissed. Bella obeyed her without question, her eyes scanning the clearing for any sign of her ex boyfriend.

Then, he was beside her.

'Hello Bella', he whispered, his lips caressing the skin on her neck. She barely had time to shiver before a blur from her left hit Edward and knocked him to the ground.

Shocked, she turned to see the two Cullen 'siblings' grappling furiously with each other, rolling on the ground like dogs. They seemed to be trying to kill each other, and Bella's stomach churned.

'Stop! Please, stop!', she cried, but they wouldn't listen, and kept on fighting. Alice gouged at Edward's face, scoring red lines into his perfect skin as he bit her shoulder, blood fountaining from the wound. They tumbled over and over, trying to tear, bite, break and rip at each other, a terrible scene to behold.

'I won't let you get her Edward', Alice snarled fiercely. 'This isn't fair, and you know it.'

'Just try and stop me', Edward said with a smirk. Alice growled ferally, and Bella felt fear like a leaden weight in her stomach. _They're fighting over me_, she realised in horror. And then, she felt the sudden urge to drop to her knees and pray that Alice won.

But she didn't, and, to her dismay, Edward wrenched Alice's left arm back with a sickening crack, leaving her lying on the ground with an arm that seemed both dislocated and broken. Bella's stomach heaved, and she threw up the contents of her gut on to the ground in front of her, her hands bracing her arms on her knees. Then she fell to the floor and trembled as Edward walked over to her, a cruel smile twisting his handsome face.

'Well, well, well', he said mockingly. 'Look what we have here. If it isn't Bella Swan!' he picked her up as if she was weightless, keeping her arms pinned to her sides.

'Bella, I think you should know that you broke my heart', he said in a conversational way that terrified her. 'And now, I've decided that if I can't have you, no one can. Or at least, no one but a vampire.' Then he picked up the hand that had been bitten by James, and carefully inserted his fangs into the scars that were already there. Across the cleared, Alice screamed. Bella could not find her voice, and then the burning sensation began to creep over her skin, the flames slowly working their way over her fingertips and crawling down her fingers.

Then, she screamed. She screamed and screamed and screamed, her lungs seemingly filled with endless quantities of air as the pain tore into her. At last, it became too much, and she blacked out as Edward dropped her to the floor and walked away.

* * *

When she resurfaced into consciousness, she thought that she'd gone back in time. A pair of fangs were buried in her hand, sucking out the poison that was burning her; corrupting her body. Then the blackness receded and she saw that it wasn't Edward saving her from James, but Alice saving her from Edward. She felt the last pinprick of flame leaving her and she wept, filled with relief.

'Thank you! Thank you Alice!', she gasped between sobbed, clinging to her friend like a sailor to a life raft. Then she felt Alice wince and let her go instantly, seeing that the vampire's arm was still hanging broken and twisted. A great anger rose in her, and she felt rage flowing through her veins. 'We can't tell anyone about this except your family Alice, because otherwise Jacob will do something stupid like go and fight Edward again. I can't let that happen as I do want to get married. But believe me when I say that I will make Edward pay for what he did today.' Her voice held barely controlled fury, and she saw the same thing reflected in her friend's eyes as she nodded.

'You'll have to drive me back to your room', she said calmly. 'Then I can call Carlisle and he can come and fix me up. I could fix the dislocation myself, but the fracture is beyond me.' Bella nodded, then a thought came into her mind.

'What happened? After Edward…bit me?', she asked curiously. Alice looked at her strangely.

'He dropped you, and collapsed on to the floor, weeping. Then he ran away and when I sensed that he was far away, I went over to you and sucked the poison out. Which was **really** hard Bella. Edward was telling the truth when he said that you were delicious.' Bella smiled at the irony of it all, then slipped an arm under Alice's good arm, supporting her friend as they began the walk back to the car.

* * *

**A/N:** So? You like?


	12. Chapter XI Guilty Conscience

**A/N:** Wow, so I realise it's been a while. No updates since August 27th is pretty shocking really. I'm so sorry everyone. Things just got so crazy, and all these other ideas swamped my head. Darn plot bunnies pop up everywhere.

Still, I now have a writing plan for WWHB, so I know where I'm going, and there are only five chapters left to write. WOO! I'm going to be updating every other week, so hopefully, this story should be wrapped up by the end of October (here's hoping). Anyway, I'm really sorry for the extended delay/hiatus. Blame my writer's block.

I'm sorry for any Twilight inaccuracies. I claim the right to screw around with the book as a fanfic writer. :D

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* * *

**Chapter XI- Guilty Conscience:**

She and Alice got back to her room without much trouble, and fortunately, Angel had left a message on Bella's desk saying she was going away for the night. Bella sighed in relief at the thought of having one less person to explain Alice's condition to.

Her friend was obviously completely exhausted, because she fell asleep on Bella's bed soon after they got back to her room. Bella covered her over gently, stroking the spiky black hair gently away from the pale, heart- shaped face with a soft sigh. How had it come to this, that brother fought sister over her?

Turning her thoughts to something more positive, she rummaged through Alice's bag, looking for something she had seen many times before. Eventually, she found it, fishing out the small silver cell phone from amongst all Alice's other crap. Flipping it open, she searched for Carlisle's number and called it as soon as she had stepped out of the room into the corridor.

'Alice? What is it? I thought you were visiting Bella.' Carlisle's voice was as familiar as ever, but tinged slightly with worry. 'Did you manage to stop Edward?' Bella's breath hitched, and her heart began to race as she realised the meaning of his words. Then, she calmed herself, forcing herself to speak.

'Carlisle, it's Bella. Alice got in a fight with Edward, and she's hurt. He hurt her badly. Her arm is dislocated, and it's fractured as well. There's also quite a few cuts that could do with stitches; or at least I think they do. I might be wrong. Either way, she's in no state to drive back herself, so if you can come and pick her up, that would be great.' There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and Bella worried for a moment that the oldest Cullen had hung up.

'Ok Bella. I should be there by 6pm at the latest. Obviously I'll have to finish up here in the hospital, and it'll take me a little while to drive up to you. But I'll be as quick as I can, and I'll bring some supplies to patch Alice up with. Oh, and tell her not to relocate her shoulder while it's fractured.'

'Sure thing Carlisle. I'll see you around 6 then. Bye.'

'Goodbye Bella. Stay safe.' Then the line went dead, and she was left with a beeping sound that indicated that Carlisle was gone. Sighing, she shut the phone and went back into her room. She sat on her bed, watching Alice sleep as she turned over Carlisle's words in her mind. "Did you manage to stop Edward?" The question played over and over in her mind, until the words stopped making sense and all she could think was that Alice had known. Alice had known.

* * *

Some time later, she woke up. Blinking sleepily, she looked at the clock, seeing that it was 4.37pm. Stretching, she got up with a groan, deciding never to fall asleep sitting up again. Her muscles were complaining loudly as she walked around, finally sitting down at her desk where a cold mug of coffee was facing her. Wrinkling her nose in disgust, she got up again, going out of her room and down the corridor to her floor's communal kitchen. Mercifully, it was deserted, and she quickly washed up the cup and put on the kettle, rooting around in the cupboards for another mug and some coffee.

Ten minutes later, she was carrying two steaming mugs of coffee back to her room, nudging the door open with a foot. Setting the mugs down carefully on her desk, she went over to the still – sleeping Alice and gently shook her awake. In the blink of an eye, she had been flipped on to her back, a hand around her throat as Alice growled ferociously. Without meaning to, Bella's heart rate sped up exponentially, beating at a stupidly fast pace in the face of something so terrifying. Then Alice realised who she was, and let her go, pulling her into an embrace just as suddenly as she had pinned Bella to the floor.

'God Bella, I'm so sorry...', she whispered softly, stroking the smaller girl's back comfortingly. 'I thought you were Edward.'

'You knew he was coming, didn't you?', Bella asked directly, not wanting to hide behind any pretences. Alice nodded into her neck.

'I...I didn't want to tell you. I saw that he would be here, except I saw it somewhere else, somewhere I didn't recognise. You were alone...and...he killed you.' Bella's breath caught for a long moment. Then she remembered to breath, and she tried desperately to still her racing heart. 'That's why I came. I couldn't let it happen.' Alice drew back from her, sitting her down gently on the bed. 'Bella, we love you, all of us, even Rosalie. We wish things had worked out differently, obviously, but if you're happy, then we're happy. We don't understand why Edward is acting like this, but we're trying our best to stop him from doing anything bad. I'm sorry that I failed you.'

Bella sat in shock, her brain still unable to comprehend her close brush with death. Tears began to trickle silently down her face in a slow procession. At last, she took a huge breath, her control breaking as she sobbed into Alice's shoulder, while the ice- cold vampire held her almost tenderly. 'It's ok Bella, it's ok', she whispered. 'He won't come here. It's alright.'

Bella nodded dumbly, feeling her tears soaking into Alice's jersey. She pulled back a little, swiping away the tears with her sleeve, and gratefully accepting a tissue from Alice.

'I called Carlisle. He should be here around six her said.' Alice nodded, smiling her gratitude at her friend. 'And Alice, you haven't failed me. Failing me would have been letting me die.' Alice looked down at her feet, nodding again. Then she perked up, sniffing the air suddenly.

'You made coffee!', she exclaimed in delight.

* * *

An hour or so later, the two girls curled up on Bella's bed, watching daytime soaps and sipping at their coffee (they'd already had two cups prior to the current mugfuls) while hurling abuse at the soap stars for being so thoroughly stupid and making such complete fools of themselves. Then Alice suddenly stiffened, before relaxing again.

'It's Carlisle', she explained, seeing the worried expression on Bella's face. 'I can smell him.' Bella nodded, and sure enough, a knock on the door came a few minutes later. Springing up from her perch on the bed, she walked over to the door, opening it to reveal the deliciously handsome Dr. Carlisle Cullen. As always, she was slightly awestruck in the face of his astonishing good looks. And then Esme appeared beside him, causing Bella to jump about six foot into the air, then laugh at her own foolishness.

'Bella, are you ok? Did he hurt you?', Esme asked instantly. Bella shook her head, and indicated for them to come in.

'No, I'm fine.' She hesitated.'Well, he bit me, but Alice sucked out the poison, so it's ok. I'm not hurt at all physically.' Esme and Carlisle looked at her in complete horror. Finally, Esme spoke again, while Carlisle began to tend to Alice's injuries.

'He... bit you?' Bella nodded. Esme blanched. 'He's broken the Treaty', she whispered almost silently. 'We'll be thrown out of Forks and hunted down by those werewolves.' Something a little like fear crossed her face. 'Oh my God, what has he done?' She sank slowly on to the floor, her eyes wide and unseeing.

Quickly, Bella settled on to the floor too, wrapping her arms around the larger woman, trying to warm the eternally cold flesh with some of her body heat. She failed, of course, but Esme seemed to appreciate the gesture, wrapping her arms around Bella lightly.

'Esme, we're not going to tell anyone about what he's done. There's too much risk involved, If Jacob finds out, he'll probably get himself killed trying to hurt Edward, and you'll be driven away from Forks by the La Push pack. I don't want either of those things to happen. So no one is going to find out what happened today. We'll just say that Alice and I were out for a walk and Alice slipped and fell.' Esme looked at her in surprise, as if unable to comprehend the words that Bella was saying. Then Carlisle spoke.

'Esme, she's right. I don't like it, but too many people stand to lose too much if this gets out. For the sake of Jacob and our family's happiness, we have to lie.' Alice nodded, wincing slightly as Carlisle lifted her arm to inspect the fracture.

'I hate to agree to it, but we have to. If we broadcast what happened, there's a chance the wrong people might hear about it, and what would Charlie think if he heard about this incident? How far d'you think he'd go to find out the truth and bring Edward to justice. He could find out what we are, or worse still, he could get killed. It's too risky to tell anyone.' Esme sighed, standing in one fluid movement. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes.

'I suppose you're right Bella. It just...well, I feel that we ought to be doing the right thing for once. I feel awful for what Edward did to you.' Bella got up, considerably less elegantly.

'Esme, don't worry about it. No lasting damage has been done, and nothing drastic has happened. We'll find a way to make Edward face up to the consequences of his actions. Now, does anyone want coffee?' Carlisle chuckled as he stitched up Alice's arm.

'Same old Bella', he grinned. 'You never worry about what you should be worried about.' Bella shrugged, taking it as a compliment.

'When you're seen vampires and werewolves, it's somehow hard to get that worked up over anything any more', she said with a sigh, and went to make another pot of coffee.

* * *

Later that week, Jacob rung her.

'Bels, are you ok? I heard about Alice Cullen.' Bella smiled at the sound of his voice, even if it was filled with concern. Something about the depth and warmth of it always filled her with a safe, happy feeling.

'Yeah Jake, I'm fine. I guess I just know the ground around here better than Alice, so I didn't fall like she did.' Jacob laughed down the other end of the line, the warmth of the sound slightly distorted by the distance.

'I'm amazed Bels. You're usually so clumsy. I consider myself lucky that you're still alive.' Bella scowled, then almost sighed in relief when she realised that Jacob was going to believe the lie she was telling. 'But don't take it personally Bels. I love your clumsiness.' She smiled, her train of thought interrupted for the time being.

'I love your bluntness Jake', she said happily. She heard a derisive snort from her fiancé, stifling a giggle.

'I am **not** blunt Bella.'

'Are so.'

'Am so not.'

Their childishness continued for a long time, and it was several hours later when Bella finally hung up in order to finish her English essay.

As she sat down at her computer, she sighed, her forehead wrinkling up unhappily. She hated lying to Jacob, and she hated having something like this on her conscience, even if it was for a very good reason. God, she wished Edward would just get over her and find someone else to terrify. She'd been under his spell for long enough without having to worry about him pursuing after she left him.

She was about to settle into a depression, when the phone rang. It was Renée. Suddenly, her world shrunk to the wedding, and within minutes, she was lost in plans for the grand event, her head filled with white dresses, favours and seating plans. Her guilty conscience could wait. And so could the English essay. If Renée was on the phone about her daughter's upcoming wedding, it would have to.


	13. Chapter XII A Wedding to Remember

**A/N: **So this one is quite short, and I'm sorry about that but it just wouldn't go all long. Puls, I wasn't sure that going all mushy and putting in mile- long descriptions of Bella's wedding dress would actually add to the story. So yeah.

I have four more chapters planned for this fic, and then finito, and no more Twilight fics for a while. I'm sorry, but Bleach is my passion. And plus, anime guys are damn hot.

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* * *

**Chapter XII- A Wedding to Remember:**

Bella kept the secret of Edward's attack a secret, just like she'd said she would. True, there were times when the knowledge she held twisted and churned within her like some kind of demon. But she refused to jeopardise the life of the Cullens and of Jacob and his pack.

So she didn't tell anyone, and threw herself into her work and the plans for the wedding. As the day drew closer and closer, she found herself swept off her feet by the intense work load she had, dropping into her bed exhausted at the end of the day. It was crazy, hectic, and out and out wonderful.

Rainy March became rainy April, which became showery May, and in turn May became sunny June. The days flew past with a speed that left Bella breathless, and suddenly, before she knew it, it was the night before her wedding and she was on the brink of becoming a married woman. She almost spent the whole day sat on the sofa at Charlie's, staring at the wall in shock. Except she had reckoned without Alice.

At 4.30pm, Alice bustled through the door, yanked her off the sofa, dragged her upstairs and began to work on her, without giving any clue as to why she was doing all of this. It seemed vaguely reminiscent of Bella's prom with Edward, except she knew that she was not going to be turned into a vampire.

So she was pleasantly surprised to find -when Alice had finally got them both ready, dragged Bella into the car and driven off into the night- that they were going out for a hen night; and one with no strippers.

It was a nice, fun dinner with her friends, and a bit of clubbing to follow. Nothing too wild, just a last night of freedom that should could enjoy without being massively hungover the next morning. She was truly grateful to Alice as she fell into bed that night at eleven, and she was smiling as she went to sleep.

* * *

She woke up early the next morning, thrilled to see pale gold light stealing through her curtains. Jumping out of bed, she went to look pout of the window and to her delight, the sky was completely clear, with not a cloud in sight.

'I'm getting married today', she whispered to herself, her stomach giving a happy little squeeze at the thought. Then her face clouded as she remembered the envelope Alice had slipped her the previous evening, addressed to her in Edward's flawless copperplate handwriting. Pulling open the curtains, she walked over to where she'd left her handbag the previous evening and rummaged in it until she found what she was looking for. Frowning slightly, she went and sat on her bed, before opening the letter and beginning to read.

_My dearest Bella,_

_I am so very, very sorry for my actions in March. I know it will make little difference, but you must know that I was not myself then. I was full of anger and grief, and I was blind to common sense. That has changed now, and I want you to know that I never, never wanted to hurt you._

_When you left me, I was a wreck. For weeks, I ate nothing, sitting in my room and sulking, sure that my heart was irrevocably broken. I now know it is, but that is beside the point. The thing is, I went into a deep depression, and my sanity very nearly left me. It was not until after my actions in March that I realised what was wrong with me, and even then, it was only last month that I felt able to even think about writing you this letter._

_I want only to tell you that I love you, and I always will do, until the day that I day. I wish you every happiness, and I hope you live a long and full life with Jacob. I also hope that you have a wonderful wedding and that for once, the weather in this God- forsaken place stays good. _

_I promise that soon, I will no long be a problem for you. Live well, Bella, and try to remember me kindly. After all, we had some wonderful times together, did we not?_

_With all my heart and love,_

_Yours always,_

_Edward Cullen _

Bella sat frozen in shock, scarcely able to comprehend the writing in front of her. It was so very, very strange to find this letter in her lap on the day of her wedding. To know that Edward was sorry for his actions, and wished her a happy life with Jacob seemed so very detached from reality that she had trouble understanding that this was a real thing, and not a dream.

Eventually, she roused herself from her thoughts, shaking her head as if to clear the thoughts from it. And then, she began to get ready.

* * *

The morning passed in a whirl of activity, from eating her breakfast at around eight am, to having Alice come around at ten, and then Renée descending upon them at eleven. Then she had lunch, and after that, it was all hair, makeup, perfume, the dress, the shoes, and this and that until her head was spinning and she almost felt dizzy.

Finally, they were driving down to the church on the reservation and she had butterflies and _Oh my God_ she was actually doing this and she was getting married and what was she thinking she couldn't get married she was far too young and Jacob would hate her and _oh no_ they were there and there was Charlie with tears in his eyes and then they were walking into the church and everyone was turning to look at her and Jacob looked so **handsome ** in his morning suit and the priest was welcoming the congregation and...

Her thoughts didn't stop whirling until after the ceremony was actually finished and they were driving to Billy's house for the reception. And then, the whole afternoon seemed to pass in a fizz of golden moments that were like being dipped in champagne because they were filled with light and effervescence.

Certain things stood out, like the look in Charlie's eyes when he had left her at the altar; the way that Jacob had looked at her right before he kissed her; the feeling of the ring on her ring; the collective 'Aww!' from the congregation as they walked down the aisle together; the happy smiles on everyone's faces at the reception and the waves of confetti that had rained down on them as they drove through the crowd of people before driving away to Seattle for their overnight stay in the Crown Prince before they flew out to the Bahamas the next day.

But the thing that stuck in her mind the most, was the way Jacob drew her to him when they were alone in their room, his eyes dark with happiness and love, kissing her softly on the mouth and taking her hand to lead her to the bed.

And later that night, as she slipped into unconsciousness, she thought that here, lying in this bed curled up with Jacob, his arm draped over her waist and his body moulded to hers with his rings on her finger and his name after hers, was possibly the happiest she had ever been.


	14. Chapter XIII Sacrifice

**A/N:** Argh, sorry it took so long to get this one done, but I had a really bad week at sixth form and I'm not feeling too great either. I was going to post this yesterday, but then my laptop was being a pice of merde. Anyway, this chappie's slightly longer. I hope you all like it. :D And as a warning, the chapters aren't going to get much longer than this now.

Chapters XIV and XV should be up sometime next week. Then it's only a week long wait until the epilogue. WOO!

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* * *

**Chapter XIII- Sacrifice:**

Bella was happier than she had ever been before. She was married to the man she loved, in great health, and on holiday in the beautiful Bahamas, sitting beside the sea on white sands, a cool drink one side, and her gorgeous man on the other. She put down her book with a smile, turning to look at Jacob, who was currently asleep, his face peaceful and unworried. She reached out and stroked his cheek lightly, giggling as his forehead and nose wrinkled slightly, before relaxing again. Then she got up and unwound her sarong from her waist, skipping across the fine sand to where the turquoise tide washed gently over the shore, the soothing sounds lulling her into a sense of calm and tranquillity.

She stepped into the water, revelling in its warmth before walking in up to her chest and striking out to a rock about one hundred feet away. She swam in a leisurely manner, taking her time and conserving her strength. When she reached it, she puled herself slowly on to it, and stretching out under the blazing sun, her eyes shut against the bright light. It was wonderful out in the middle of the sea, and she felt herself drifting away on the tide to some far off land...

The next thing she knew, she was soaking wet. Sitting up with a shriek, she looked around, seeing Jacob a metre away from her, grinning from ear to ear. He splashed her again, and she frowned at him.

'Jake! What was that for?'

'Bels, you've been asleep for the last ten minutes. You'll be as red as a lobster if you're not careful. Besides, I couldn't resist waking you.' She smiled, sliding into the blissfully cool water (which soon began to feel warmer), and splashed him back, enjoying his shout of surprise before a huge wave rolled over her and had her coughing and sputtering. She heard a bark of laughter behind her, and then she was picked up and thrown over Jacob's shoulder.

Holding her steady with one hand, he struck out for the shore, ignoring her feeble kicks and pathetic squealing. She was sure he was laughing at her, but somehow, she guessed she didn't mind. So she quietened down a bit, and when they sot to the beach, she kissed him gently when he put her down, winding her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss. They walked along the sand to their umbrella, hand in hand. Then, when they got their, she lay down and let Jacob work his massage magic as he put on sun cream for her, wondering if life got any better than this.

* * *

They spent the rest of the day on the beach, ordering lunch there and only returning to their villa when the sun began to sink below the skyline, and a cold wind picked up. They ate lunch on their terrace, watching the sky turn a rainbow of colours. Then, it began to rain, and they made a desperate beeline for the house with their food, washing everything up before returning outside to dance in the rain, without a care in the world.

The downpour was warm, and Bella revelled in it, spinning around like a little child. Then Jacob picked her up and whirled her around, making her squeal in delight. The air was hot, and there was thunder and marvellous lightening. A sudden tension appeared, and their every touch seemed to create sparks. Jacob's eyes smouldered, and Bella felt desire stirring in her belly. Finally, they kissed, and it seemed to ignite something within her, as she pulled Jacob into the villa and their bedroom, clothes discarded within minutes before they lost themselves in passion while the storm raged outside.

* * *

Their days in the Bahamas were to be treasured, and Bella was sure that they would be something she would hold dear for the rest of her life. Each moment with Jacob was precious, even that one night where they had fought and their sex had been rather rougher than she had expected. She wasn't hurt though, and stored the memory for another time. It had been a brilliant stress- resolver, dispersing the tension between them wonderfully.

As she packed her suitcase, she looked back on the past two weeks, suddenly wondering if her life with Edward would ever have been anything like this. She smiled a little sadly, deciding that although perhaps she would have had more money lavished on her, she wouldn't have enjoyed herself half as much. Edward was far more cold than Jacob, for all his declarations of undying love and desire to make her his own. He was not as spontaneous, and certainly not as unafraid of looking foolish. The things that she loved in Edward were not all present in Jacob, that was for sure, but somehow, she found that she didn't mind.

Looking at the souvenirs and presents she was packing into her trunk, she smiled, wondering what her friends and family would think of gifts. But suddenly, a feeling of premonition over came her, and she was certain that bad news awaited her at home...

* * *

Getting off the plane at Seattle, the feeling of discontent grew worse. Although she didn't show it to Jacob, she was completely on edge. When he asked about it, clearly able to smell something on her, she passed it off as tiredness, not wanting to spoil their lovely honeymoon by saying she **thought** that something might be wrong at home.

Arriving at Billy's house several hours later, she was glad to see that both Billy and her parents were ok, and that everything was as normal with them. Charlie seemed a little out of character, but then having Renée and Phil around was bound to be a little off putting for him. Billy grumbled about how the house had got filthy without Jacob around, but it was good- natured, and his whinging about his back was similarly teasing.

They were all delighted by the gifts she and Jacob had brought back, and her mother was especially keen to look at the photos on Jacob's laptop, so of course they were all there, cooing over holiday snaps, (and, in Bella's case, blushing) and then staying on for dinner. When they had all finally gone, Bella felt very drained, and went to bed early, claiming that the jet lag had got to her in a bad way. She was filled with guilt as Jacob smiled at her sweetly, for lying about this, and then, her guilt about lying about Edward surfaced, and suddenly, she could not leave the room fast enough.

She dashed upstairs to Jacob's room, undressing quickly and getting ready for bed. Then, she got out Edward's letter from the recesses of her handbag, and read it over several times. The line '_I promise that soon, I will no long be a problem for you._', stuck in her mind and it repeated over and over until she was sick with worry. Finally, unable to stand it, she hid the letter again, turned out the light, and stuck her head under her pillow until she fell asleep, not even stirring when Jacob came to bed.

* * *

The next day, unable to shake the feeling that Edward's letter held a deeper meaning, she drove over to the Cullens house, desperately hoping that she was wrong. When she pulled up to the house, her heart sank. The windows were all shut, and the curtains drawn. There were no cars in the drive, and it was clear that nobody was in. Bella knew that this was a highly unusual occurrence for the Cullens, and she was gripped by fear. After all, it wasn't like they were going to be asleep.

She walked up to the front door, and she almost stopped breathing when she saw the note there. With shaking fingers, she plucked it from the pin that held it, and opened the letter, reading the scant words slowly.

_Dear Bella, _it said.

_Alice has had a vision concerning Edward, and we've gone to Italy to see the Volturi. Please don't be worried, I'm sure we'll all be fine. We'll be back as soon as possible. I hope the honeymoon was wonderful._

_With love, Carlisle Cullen_

Bella's heart clenched painfully at the thought of Italy and the Volturi. It was like she had suddenly stepped into the past. After all, Edward and the Volturi were not exactly people who went together well. She was pretty sure she knew exactly why they had gone to Italy, and she was equally sure that although the Cullens would be coming back, not all of them would be alive.

Her eyes filling with tears, she took out the card inside the envelope, reading Esme's neat handwriting thanking her sincerely for inviting them to the wedding. The whole family -except Edward- had signed it, and there was a P.S. at the bottom that mad her sniffle. It said:

_Edward sends his love and best wishes._

Then, and only then, did she sit down on the doorstep and give in to the tears.

* * *

After a week spent in agonies of torment, Bella finally found out what the outcome of the trip to Italy was. The Cullens returned unscathed, but with a coffin in their luggage. The story was a family holiday in Italy, and a tragic mugging, but Bella and the La Push pack knew differently. It seemed that the Volturi had managed to grant Edward his wish after all.

The whole of Forks went into mourning. Carlisle was liked by everyone, and although his 'children' were less well known, people still came in their swathes to pass on their condolences. At the funeral (Which both Bella and the pack attended; although the pack only came to out of respect), the church was packed, and when Bella made her speech about Edward, and how he was a unique person (she struggled not to laugh over that line), she saw a sea of faces.

* * *

Afterwards, at the reception, she hunted down Alice. Desperately, she coerced her best friend into telling her the grim tale of Edward's demise. It was not for the faint- hearted or squeamish, but Bella heard it to the end, her guilt growing exponentially with each word. She knew that none of the Cullens blamed her, but she couldn't stop the feeling.

And then Alice said something that made her cry pathetically, clinging on to her friend for dear life, like she was a life raft in a raging sea.

'He said it was a sacrifice that had to be made. One for the lives and happiness of many. And before they- right before he died, he said "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known." ' And Bella's last bit of self control gave way as she gave in fully to her grief.


	15. Chapter XIV A Matter of Biology

**A/N:** Sorry, I know it's been a while, but I've been very caught up with college and the lovely Tom, so yeah, I have good, valid reasons for not updating lol.

Anyway, sorry this is so short, the next one should be a bit longer, and then there's only the epilogue left which should be a decent-ish length. At least 2,000 words I'd say.

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Thank you all, and I'm sorry if I didn't reply to your review. As I said, busy, busy. But now I have half term and TIME to finish this baby.

And I know it's not medically correct but wait and see and all will be revealed...

Reviews are appreciated.

* * *

**Chapter XIV- A Matter of Biology:**

For several weeks after Edward's funeral Bella was a ghost of her former self, trailing around the Black house like a shadow, pale, exhausted and wraith- like. She faded slowly, her colouring flat and lifeless, her eyes red- rimmed and her heart heavy with guilt.

Jacob watched her anxiously, unable to reach her in her present state, helpless as she wandered aimlessly from room to room or walked out to the cliffs she had once thrown herself off all that time ago. She was far away from everyone, and losing her grip on life and sanity inch by painful inch. His beautiful wife was melting away like the first snow, and he could do nothing to help her.

Alice was in a similar position. She missed her 'brother' dreadfully, but at that moment, she was so concerned about Bella that she barely time to grieve for the lost member of her family. She tried, time and again, to get Bella to open up and talk about the way she was feeling, but Bella was hidden behind layers of misery and guilt, far away beyond anyone's reach.

So everyone watched as Bella continued her solitary walks, coming home at all hours of the day and night without any words of explanation, refusing to eat and sleep. She was unresponsive and cold, unwilling to have any interaction with other people.

The days dragged onwards, their passage marked by the increasing heat of the summer, and then the slightly cooling of the air as August began to run into September. By that point in time, nearly everyone in Forks knew about Bella, and people were constantly asking after her, to the point where Charlie was beginning to consider getting a new phone line put in just for inquiries into Bella's health.

Carlisle had tired everything, and had even referred Bella to a shrink, but this had failed dismally as Bella had not spoken a word throughout the three sessions she had been coerced into attending. She had sat, staring at the wall like a block of granite while the psychoanalyst tried to get her to unburden herself. It was actually quite frightening to watch.

* * *

Then, one day a little over a month before Bella was due to return to college, Alice had a brainwave. She got up in the middle of the night, driving over to the Black's house at 4am and creeping silently up the wall to Bella and Jacob's room, finding Bella there, while Jacob was not. For once, her friend was asleep, and quickly, Alice left the note she'd scribbled on Bella's pillow and sneaked out of the house with the slight figure in her arms. Gently, she settled her friend into the air and buckled her in, tucking a blanket over her to keep her from a chill. Then she slid into the driver's seat, clicking her seatbelt on before starting up the engine and quickly drove away and into the night.

The car was racing along the highway at around 150 miles an hour when Bella stirred and woke. Disorientated, she looked around in panic as her bleary eyes finally took in the sight of Alice on her left.

'Alice, what are you doing? Where are we going? And- OH MY GOD SLOW DOWN!!' She'd seen the speedometer, and her heart was racing at a similar speed to the car. She didn't calm down either, especially as Alice just shook her head and laughed.

'We're going somewhere you should have gone a long time ago. And we need to make it before sunrise. So there'll be no slowing down.' Bella's eyes went wide in fear, and Alice's hear leapt to see her friend come out of catatonic state, even if she was now terrified. It was good to see Bella looking alive again.

* * *

A scant half an hour later, they arrived at a place Bella did not recognise. A long driveway was lined by beech trees standing like sentries in the grey light that came before dawn. They drove along it quickly, speeding by the old trees so that they blurred into one another, creating a tunnel of darkness about them as they headed for some unknown destination.

Finally, the trees came to a halt and they pulled out in front of a well proportioned house, larger than average and beautiful. It looked old enough to have weathered a bit, but modern enough to look in keeping with modern housing trends. Elegant and well- crafted, it was obviously expensive and built by someone with money. Bella loved it on sight, her enthusiasm for it only dampened by the thought _Edward would have loved this house_. Then, she retreated to within her cage of guilt, allowing Alice to pick her up from the car and walk around the house carrying her friend in her arms. She walked over manicured lawns with her burden, only depositing Bella when they came to an ornate gravestone overlooking acres of lawns, flowerbeds and trees.

Squinting in the half darkness, Bella's lips moved as she tried to make out the name. Then, she gave up, sitting on the ground to watch the sky lighten and streaks of gold course through the grey that was hanging over them like a shroud. Finally, it was light enough for her to make out the name.

'Edward Cullen...', she breathed, the name hanging almost tangibly in the still air. 'Son of Carlisle and Esme Cullen, Brother of Alice and Emmett, Cousin of Rosalie and Jasper Hale. Well loved by many, and by Jemima and Frederick. Bella, forgive me...' Then, the damn broke, and all the pain and guilt she had been holding inside poured out as her tears ran a river of catharsis down her cheeks while the sun rose over the horizon.

* * *

Later, Alice showed her the will, catching her as she fell forward suddenly, her gasp of surprise the only warning given. The poor girl was swept off her feet, and as they drove home, she was still unable to comprehend that she now had a whole house. Soon, Bella was asleep, and when Alice took her into the Black's house, she did not even stir.

It was only several hours later that she actually woke. Jacob was watching her anxiously, and she smiled to see his face, so dear to her after so many months alone in her sorrow.

'Love me Jake', she whispered softly, pushing her lips to his and melting into him in a way that she hadn't felt in months. Then the world seemed to narrow to nothing but him and her, as Jacob made love to her the tenderest way he knew how.

* * *

Bella knew a few days later, when her returned appetite was ruined by sudden bouts of nausea in the mornings. After all, she hadn't got an A in Biology for nothing. And it didn't take much to know when you were pregnant, even if your husband was a werewolf.


	16. Chapter XV Double Trouble

**A/N:** Right people, this is the penultimate chapter of WWHB. Hurrah! The monster is nearly done. There's only the epilogue left, which I hope to make a bit longer than the last few chapters.

Anyway, the formatting on here is going all stupid, so I've got to use crappy line breaks atm. Sorry. I'll reformat it again some other time.

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Love to all of my readers, and specially my reviewers!

Reviews are appreciated.

-------------------------------------

**Chapter XV- Double Trouble:**

Two weeks into her pregnancy, Bella got bored with trying to explain away her sickness and went to see Carlisle Cullen.

'Carlisle, I'm pregnant. I need you to try and work out what's going to happen with this.' She pointed at her belly, which was still as smooth and slim as ever, although she knew that was soon going to change.

'Blunt as always Bella. Come on in and we'll have a talk about this.' Carlisle smiled, and Bella walked into their house for the first time since Edward's funeral. Surprisingly, although she felt a tug at her heartstrings, the bitter ache that had been there so long was gone. She felt suddenly lighter, as if a weight had lifted from her shoulders. Standing a little straighter, she followed Carlisle into his study, and took a seat on the other side of the desk while he searched around the room, gathering various its and pieces before sitting down opposite her.

'You know, this won't be the first cross- species child. Werewolves have been around for a long time, and they've imprinted on a fair old number of humans during that time. There have even been some human- vampire children, although that's another matter entirely.' Bella watched a sudden frown crumple his flawless skin before it was smoothed out. This all happened in the blink of an eye, and she wondered what memories Carlisle must carry to make him unhappy like that. 'Of course, even though werewolves have bred cross- species before doesn't mean that this will be your ordinary run- of- the- mill pregnancy. Still, at least you didn't end up carrying Edward's child. That would have caused a real problem.' Again, the fleeting frown, and Bella made a mental note to research that topic some time.

'So what will it mean Carlisle? I won't have some alien spawn clawing its way out of my stomach will I?' Carlisle laughed, and Bella felt reassured.

'Oh Bella, of course not! Humans and werewolves have a very similar anatomy. The only major differences are the increased levels of testosterone, and growth hormones, and the high body temperate and raised heart rate. Really, nothing that dramatic should happen. The pregnancy, will, of course, be shorter, but that's really nothing to worry about.' Bella's eyes narrowed.

'How much shorter?' Carlisle looked away, his eyes not meeting hers. 'Carlisle, how much shorter?' the vampire shifted uncomfortably in his seat before turning and looking her straight in the eye.

'The general consensus is that werewolf- mated humans tend to have pregnancies of around five months. So, depending on when this began, it could be any time before Christmas.' Bella's jaw dropped.

'You're telling me that I'm going to be a mother by **Christmas**?!', she asked breathlessly. Carlisle nodded, his eyes full of pity.

'May I inquire as to when about you the child was conceived, Bella? Or is that too personal?' Bella shook her head, still dazed from the unexpected news.

'Uh, it was the day after I came back from Edward's house. I was pretty upset, and well... you understand, I'm sure.' Carlisle nodded gently, his eyes warm and, for a moment, slightly damp.

'Yes, I do', he said softly. Bella wondered what it must have been like for them, losing one member of their precious 'family'. She wondered if Esme felt the same as any other mother.

Carlisle's voice shook her out of her musings.

'Well, at this early stage in the day, there's really not that much I can do for you. I have some of the case notes from other pregnancies similar to yours if you'd care to read them, but until you start to develop a little more, I won't be able to take an ultrasound or anything.' Bella, nodded and smiled, standing up and stretching.

'Thanks Carlisle. I'll come and see you before I go back to college to get those case notes and to talk to you some more. Say hi to everyone for me, and uh, if you don't mind, could you keep this a secret for a bit? I don't want to share this just yet.' Carlisle smiled widely, nodding, and she walked out of his office and back to the car with a joyful song in her heart.

* * *

When she got back to the Black's house, she found Jacob waiting for her on the porch, a look of worry on his face.

'Bella, are you ok? Where've you been? I've been so worried!' His eyes were wide, and his face was drawn into taut lines of concern. Bella, smiled, knowing she would wipe away those wrinkles when she told him her news.

'Relax Jake. I went to see Carlisle, that's all.' Jacob looked even more worried as she said this, and she resisted the urge to giggle.

'You went to see Carlisle? Why? Is something the matter Bella? You know you don't have to keep this all to yourself.' She silenced him with a gentle finger on his lips, her smile growing and growing.

'No Jake, nothing's wrong. In fact, something is very, very right.' He looked at her in confusion, and she giggled just a little. 'Oh Jake, don't look so worried and bemused! It's good news, I promise. You see...I'm having a baby.' His facial expression was comical to watch. His eyes went wide, and then a huge, goofy grin spread over his face.

'You mean it Bella? You really mean it Bels? We're going to be parents?' She nodded, loving his childish enthusiasm. He laughed, clearly delighted, and picked her up in a bear hug, spinning her around as she squealed in enjoyment. Then he drew her in for a breathless kiss, before gently setting her down on the porch seat. 'So, when's this kid of ours due?'

'Um, well, because of you being a werewolf and all, probably before Christmas.' Jacob's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

'Christmas? But... that's so soon... Why wasn't my mum's pregnancy that short?' Bella, shook her head, shrugging.

'I don't know Jake, but I'd hazard a guess at is being cause your dad never really became a wolf like you. It must be a genetic thing.' Jacob frowned for a minute, then smiled again.

'Who cares Bels? We're going to have a baby!'

* * *

'We're **what** now Carlisle?!'

'Jacob, you and Bella are having twins. There are two clearly identifiable heart beats and foetuses in Bella's womb. Hence, you are having twins.' Jacob's jaw looked like it would hit the floor.

'But- but- but-'

'Oh Jake, stop worrying!', Bella said a little impatiently. She was around half way through her pregnancy, and it was starting to get **heavy**. 'Be thankful you haven't got two kicking lumps of flesh sitting in your belly. What?!' Carlisle shook his head, trying to smother his laughter.

* * *

'OhmyGOD it **hurts**!', Bella said forcefully, trying to ignore the clamping pains in her abdomen, and this completely unnatural urge to **PUSH**. It didn't work though, and soon, she had given up fighting the impulse, and was pushing with all her might.

Jacob had left the room a while ago, because he was even more nervous than Bella and was having a bad effect on her, so the midwife said. And she did feel less inclined to throw something at someone...

* * *

A while later, Jacob was ushered back into the room to see his exhausted wife clasping two dark- haired children to her chest. She held out the child on her let to him.

'This is your son', she said with a tired smile, watching as he took the baby carefully, like he was made of glass. 'And this is your daughter.'

'What- no, I can't-' Jacob protested, but was cut off by the two infants in his arms. Just then, the little girl stretched out an arm and poked her brother, who returned the poke with a fist. They started crying, and Jacob happily handed them over to a nurse. Then he went to Bella's side, kissing her forehead gently.

'Thank you', he whispered. She smiled tiredly.

'Don't thank me just yet', she whispered back. 'Not only do we have the clichéd one boy one girl, but it looks like they'll be a real case of double trouble.'

Jacob's laughter could be heard half way down the corridor.


	17. Epilogue: The path not taken

**A/N:** Right, I know this isn't as long as you'd all like, but it is at least the final installment that's been waiting to be written fro nearly a year now...I'm really sorry about the delay, but life kind of got in the way, as it so often does. It's been a really long journey to get to this point, and I hope you're all as pleased with the overall result as I am (although i admit i could have done a lot more justice to chapter 16; but maybe one day I will). happy reading, and much love to anyone who reviews.

Thank you to everyone I've mentioned here, and to all those who I've mentioned before. Your support and appreciation is the only reason I continued writing this story. And I'm really sorry to those I didn't reply to who reviewed. It still meant a lot to me that you took the time to say how you felt.

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* * *

**Epilogue: The path not taken…**

The afternoon air was tinged with a chill as the golden light began to slowly slip away, and evening began to creep up on the house. Bella sat on the porch, watching the sun tenderly touching each blade of grass as it said goodbye until the next day, soaking in the stillness and the picture perfect view. The seat was comfortable, and although the breeze stirring her hair whispered of change, and the few early leaves curled on the lawn heralded the fall, she was content. The air had a crisp feel to it, and she could almost smell the scent of toffee apples and cinnamon cookies baking. She smiled; closing her eyes as she thought about the fun they would have over the next few months, preparing for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

At that moment, two small and boisterous children bursting through the door and racing out into the garden screaming at each other disturbed her reverie.

'William! Alicia! You make sure you're back before it gets dark or I'll send Daddy out after you!' Bella called. The two small children stop briefly, nodded and then continued to run on, throwing punches and kicks at each other as they went. Bella sighed. They were six years old, and still as much of a handful as they had ever been. She watched them disappearing towards the trees, the sun shining on their gloss black hair, and for a moment a vision flashed before her eyes of a different life, where she had said yes instead of no, and where she had broken Jacob's heart. A life where she had died and come back to life as an immortal, as beautiful and unbreakable as diamond; where she had a child who was flawless, almost immortal; who had been Jacob's true love instead of her. A life she chose not to have; a path not taken. Hundreds of years flashed before her eyes, filled with love and beauty, and a life of unending complexity and secrecy moved before her eyes. She watched lie after lie, and the constant moving and changing that was required. She saw the death of the mortals she loved and lost, and the slowing path of time wearing down the daughter she loved. She saw Jacob grown old and grey, and tears dripping down his face as a coffin was lowered into a grave, with the name 'Renesmee' craved simply into the gravestone. She saw unknown lands and wide spaces, and infinite knowledge. She saw faces she didn't know, and so many days that it felt like every year was passing in the blink of an eye. And she saw Edward, as perfect as the first day she loved him, and as beautiful as the last moment they shared. The poignancy of his smile almost broke her heart.

She shook her head quietly and smiled to herself, a single tear tracking down her cheek and dripping on to her top. She looked out over the garden fondly, her eyes touching upon every exquisite detail of the flowerbeds and lawns Edward had planned out. Getting up, she walked slowly, lingeringly towards the gravestone that was lightly weathered by the years, placing a hand on top of it and bowing her head for a moment.

'Thank you Edward', she whispered under her breath, the breeze stealing away her words and carrying them to the heavens. A part of her hoped that somewhere, he could hear. And almost as if in answer to her hopes, the breeze dropped and she stood bathed in the waning light of the sun, alone in the stillness. She looked up, and smiled again. This was her home, and this was where she would live, till the end of her days, she knew it. Nowhere else could summon up the love she felt for the two most important men in her life and unite it into something more wonderful and tangible. She thought briefly of how here and here alone she felt able to draw out from her soul the words she lovingly committed to paper for her readers. Her career as an author meant they were never short of money, and her fairytales and stories of vampires and werewolves had entertained nations. Ironic that only a few people knew they were based on her own experiences… and she hoped that one day, maybe even her kids would read them. But that wouldn't happen until they were older. Not just yet. Not yet.

A wail rent the air, and shattered her train of thought. Bella mused that perhaps something was trying to tell her to stop thinking tonight and just enjoy the moment for what it was worth. She walked towards the trees at a leisurely pace, the last of the light kissing her skin gently as she listened to the ongoing screams and cries, knowing her two little devils were up to something again. _Never a dull minute_, she thought with a smile. But then again, her life rarely had been what you could call 'dull'.

As to be expected, they were fighting. Will and Ali weren't docile unless they were ill, and now, in the best of health, they were up to their usual tricks.

'Mum, Will hit me!'

Mum, Ali said I wasn't cool enough to ever be like Daddy!' A minor scuffle broke out, and Bella let them rampage for a minute before picking both of them up and tucking them firmly under her arms, walking out towards the house with a wriggling child on each hip.

'Guys, you know what I think about the pair of you fighting. Just cause you're tougher than the other kids doesn't make it ok. And I don't like this business of insulting one another.'

'But MUM I didn't-'

'Will, I don't care what she said. You're not allowed to hit girls and you know that. Not even your sister, not even if she's annoying you. And Ali, it's not fair of you to provoke him just because he's not allowed to hit you. I expect better from the pair of you.' She deposited them in front of the door, dusting herself down. 'Now, go inside QUIETLY and go upstairs. It's bath time. And then bed. Ok?'

'Yes Mum', they chorused dutifully, stumbling inside sullenly.

'And no fighting!' she called after them. She heard sighs as they began troop towards the stairs, and smiled. They were great kids, even if they were very mischievous most of the time. And her family was a pretty special thing after all, the six of them. True enough, she had a werewolf for a husband, which made her unusual in many ways. But she had vampires on her side too, and four beautiful, magical children. Smiling, she watched as the evening light began to fade into darkness and a sharp chill cut through the air. Shivering a little, she picked up her rug from the porch seat and went inside, shutting the door behind her.

The golden glow of the lamps called to her, and she made her way to the kitchen, hearing familiar bath time shrieks from upstairs and assuming that Jacob had started the night time ritual for the twins. She hunted around until she found the ingredients for cinnamon cookies, her stomach calling to her as she mixed the spices and set out the dough on a tray to cook. Sticking it into the oven, she put the messy cooking equipment into the sink and washed her hands before making her way upstairs, where the noises had lessened and Jacob's deep voice was the only sound.

She came on to the landing where the children's rooms were just as Jacob came out of the twin's room.

'They want their kiss', he said with a smile, and she nodded, going in to kiss her two sleepy sweethearts goodnight before slipping out of the room in silence to peep in on Zachary, who was only three, and sleeping soundly, his little face peaceful and less serious than in his waking hours. Lastly, she looked in on Lizzie, who was just one and had only recently begun to sleep properly. She smiled at her tiny angel, and planted a delicate kiss on the slumbering child's forehead, watching as she stirred, her tiny hands curling up slightly before she shifted and sighed, still dreaming sweet dreams.

Then she walked quietly up the next flight of stairs to the floor that was hers and Jacob's, and made her way to her bedroom, past her office and the huge bathroom that was hers. She walked into the empty room, slipping off her clothes with a contented sigh and stretching like a cat. With a happy smile, she pulled on her pyjama bottoms and top, taking her hair out of its ponytail and shaking it until her head felt less strained. She ran her fingers through the wavy locks, looking out of the windows that weren't yet covered by curtains. The garden was still and dusky, the last of the sunlight gone as a sliver of a new moon rose above the trees and cast a silvery light over the darkened plants.

A pair of arms slipped around her waist, and Jacob's head rested atop her own.

'I love you Bella', he whispered into her hair.

'I love you too Jake', she said quietly, the warmth of his body filling her with all kinds of desires, and a love so fierce it almost burnt her. She turned around, and they kissed, all thoughts of another life swept out of her head as they stumbled towards the bed and to a place where there was nothing but love.

* * *

**A/N: **Yes I know some of the plot got mixed up with stuff from Breaking Dawn, but it's calle aritistic liscense guys :)

Love to you all

x


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